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| Trump cannot block critics on Twitter, federal court affirms | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A federal appeals court in New York on Monday let stand a ruling that prevents President Trump from blocking critical voices from the Twitter account he uses to communicate with the public. | A federal appeals court in New York on Monday let stand a ruling that prevents President Trump from blocking critical voices from the Twitter account he uses to communicate with the public. |
| The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit denied the Trump administration’s request to revisit an earlier holding that Trump violated the First Amendment when he blocked individual Twitter users who were critical of the president or his polices. | |
| “Excluding people from an otherwise public forum such as this by blocking those who express views critical of a public official is, we concluded, unconstitutional,” wrote Judge Barrington D. Parker. | “Excluding people from an otherwise public forum such as this by blocking those who express views critical of a public official is, we concluded, unconstitutional,” wrote Judge Barrington D. Parker. |
| “Twitter is not just an official channel of communication for the President; it is his most important channel of communication,” the judge concluded in a decision with implications for how elected officials throughout the country use social media platforms to communicate with constituents. | “Twitter is not just an official channel of communication for the President; it is his most important channel of communication,” the judge concluded in a decision with implications for how elected officials throughout the country use social media platforms to communicate with constituents. |
| What does an elected official in Virginia have to do with whether President Trump can block people on Twitter? A lot. | What does an elected official in Virginia have to do with whether President Trump can block people on Twitter? A lot. |
| Two judges, nominated to the bench by Trump, disagreed with the decision and would have reconsidered the earlier ruling. | Two judges, nominated to the bench by Trump, disagreed with the decision and would have reconsidered the earlier ruling. |
| “The First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech does not include a right to post on other people’s personal social media accounts, even if those other people happen to be public officials,” Judge Michael H. Park wrote in a dissent, joined by Judge Richard J. Sullivan. | “The First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech does not include a right to post on other people’s personal social media accounts, even if those other people happen to be public officials,” Judge Michael H. Park wrote in a dissent, joined by Judge Richard J. Sullivan. |
| Park acknowledged that the president’s use of Twitter has been unprecedented but noted that Trump created his personal @realDonaldTrump account years before taking office. | |
| Allowing the court’s decision to stand, he wrote, will lead to the social media pages of public officials being “overrun with harassment, trolling, and hate speech, which officials will be powerless to filter.” | Allowing the court’s decision to stand, he wrote, will lead to the social media pages of public officials being “overrun with harassment, trolling, and hate speech, which officials will be powerless to filter.” |
| President Trump cannot block his critics on Twitter, federal appeals court rules | President Trump cannot block his critics on Twitter, federal appeals court rules |
| Of the nine judges who considered the Trump administration’s request, only Park and Sullivan announced they would have revisited the earlier decision. | |
| The decision Monday leaves in place a unanimous three-judge panel ruling from July. The court held that because the president uses his Twitter account to conduct official government business, he cannot exclude voices or viewpoints with which he disagrees. | The decision Monday leaves in place a unanimous three-judge panel ruling from July. The court held that because the president uses his Twitter account to conduct official government business, he cannot exclude voices or viewpoints with which he disagrees. |
| The court’s initial ruling addressed only the interactive spaces on Twitter for replies and comments, and applies to accounts used to conduct official business. The judges also did not decide whether elected officials violate the Constitution when they block users from private accounts. | The court’s initial ruling addressed only the interactive spaces on Twitter for replies and comments, and applies to accounts used to conduct official business. The judges also did not decide whether elected officials violate the Constitution when they block users from private accounts. |
| Trump’s Twitter habits are affecting how local politicians behave online | |
| The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed the lawsuit in 2017 on behalf of seven people blocked from the president’s account. Katie Fallow, one of their attorneys, said in a statement Monday that the court’s action affirms that the First Amendment “bars the President from blocking users from his account simply because he dislikes or disagrees with their tweets.” | The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed the lawsuit in 2017 on behalf of seven people blocked from the president’s account. Katie Fallow, one of their attorneys, said in a statement Monday that the court’s action affirms that the First Amendment “bars the President from blocking users from his account simply because he dislikes or disagrees with their tweets.” |
| “This case should send a clear message to other public officials tempted to block critics from social media accounts used for official purposes,” she said. | “This case should send a clear message to other public officials tempted to block critics from social media accounts used for official purposes,” she said. |
| The Justice Department is reviewing the ruling, a spokeswoman said. | The Justice Department is reviewing the ruling, a spokeswoman said. |
| A boy, a chicken sandwich and a federal case over dinner at Colonial Williamsburg | A boy, a chicken sandwich and a federal case over dinner at Colonial Williamsburg |
| Gun and ammunition sales rise amid pandemic fears | Gun and ammunition sales rise amid pandemic fears |
| Deep inside a desolate courthouse, 12 jurors perform civic duty as coronavirus shuts down world around them | Deep inside a desolate courthouse, 12 jurors perform civic duty as coronavirus shuts down world around them |
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