Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald ruled on Wednesday that Trump’s blocking spree from allowing people to see his tweets are a violation of the U.S. Constitution. It is unconstitutional for people to not be able to practice their freedom of speech towards the president. Blocking them prohibits them from seeing his tweets, which means it negates them from being able to respond as well. Last July, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and seven other plaintiffs, who Trump had blocked on Twitter, filed a lawsuit against him.
Trump is an avid Twitter user and posts frequently throughout the day. He has sent out over 30,000 tweets to his 50 million plus followers since 2009. According to CNBC, there are at least 150 verified accounts that Trump has blocked, and tons more unverified ones as well.
The Knight Institute was “pleased” with the court’s decision. The senior staff attorney for the institute, Katie Fallow, said, “The First Amendment prohibits government officials from suppressing speech on the basis of viewpoint … The court’s application of that principle here should guide all of the public officials who are communicating with their constituents through social media.”
