Trump can't block Twitter followers, federal judge says

[demmiblue]

Source: CNBC

President Donald Trump cannot block users on his Twitter feed, a federal judge in New York City ruled Wednesday.

Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald said in her ruling that Trump is violating the U.S. Constitution by preventing certain Americans from viewing his tweets. The social media platform, she said, is a "designated public forum" from which Trump cannot exclude individual plaintiffs.

Buchwald's ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed last July by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, as well as seven other plaintiffs who said they had been blocked on Twitter by Trump.

Trump's blocks on the social media platform prevented the plaintiffs from viewing or responding to the president's tweets when logged into their own Twitter accounts.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/23/trump-cant-block-twitter-followers-federal-judge-says.html

[Corgigal]

1. Asshole

Stop wasting taxpayers money.

[apnu]

3. His weekly golf trips cost way more than this case.

Waaaaaaaay more.

[Corgigal]

4. Yeah

But hopefully he shuts up. We can all take a nap.

[apnu]

8. Or he takes a nap and we get some quiet time.

They way he shouts everything is exhausting.

SHUT UP TRUMP!

[notdarkyet]

2. Hahahahaha.

[Mike Nelson]

5. One would think...

...the President of the United States of America would have something better to do than block people on social media sites.

[jpak]

6. BWAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!1111

So much winning....

[C_U_L8R]

7. Twitter should just take that ability away from Trump

[apnu]

9. Twitter doesn't have a great history doing the right thing

Like most Social Networking generation technologists, they struggle to provide a product that works right for its users. Twitter has a long history of tolerating all kinds of dubious behavior (racism, sexism, xenophobia, illegal usage, cyberbullying) and making all sorts of noises about fixing these things and fails to deliver on the noises it makes. Facebook and Reddit are no different. Although Reddit did improve somewhat, if only to avoid turning into another version of 4Chan. Keep in mind, Reddit had to be publicly shamed into closing incest and pedophilia related subreddits.

That whole generation of communication products has these problems.

[Yonnie3]

10. Doesn't this underscore the *official* nature of his tweets?

Official statements can certainly be used to prove intent.

[Javaman]

11. I don't have a twitter account but I might get one now...

just so I can call him brainless every single fucking day.

[SunSeeker]

16. I hope everyone does that!

[inwiththenew]

12. I wonder if this will get applied to all politicans

I don't tweet but I know of friends who have been blocked by other politicians.

[SunSeeker]

14. Yes, if they use their Twitter account for official business, like Shitler does.

From the article, describing the ruling:

"This case requires us to consider whether a public official may, consistent with the First Amendment, 'block' a person from his Twitter account in response to the political views that person has expressed, and whether the analysis differs because that public official is the President of the United States," Buchwald said in her opinion.

"The answer to both questions is no."

[TygrBright]

13. This astonishes me less than that he HAS any Twitter followers at all... n/t

[SunSeeker]

15. I was expecting this ruling. He uses his Twitter account for official business.

It is a public forum, so the First Amendment applies. He can't block speech just because he disagrees with it.

[lunatica]

17. It's fascinating to see the parallel evolutions of social media, the justice system and

global cultural changes of our modern times.

New crimes pop up as they always do and the justice system and society have to travel the path along with them.

This stuff fascinates me. It’s living history as it it progresses.

[onecaliberal]

18. Is he going to unblock me now?

[Mr.Bill]

19. And if he continues to do it, here's what will happen:

Absolutely nothing.

[OliverQ]

20. Who is going to enforce this and make him unblock people?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

21. Good

I can still give nasty replies

[madville]

22. Does this apply to all politicians?

I'm sure most politicians have blocked twitter users at some point.