U.S. free-speech group sues Trump for blocking Twitter users

The suit claims that Trump’s Twitter feed is a public forum and an official voice of the president. Excluding people from reading or replying to his tweets—especially because they tweeted critical comments—amounts to a First Amendment breach, according to the lawsuit. “The @realDonaldTrump account is a kind of digital town hall in which the president and his aides use the tweet function to communicate news and information to the public, and members of the public use the reply function to respond to the president and his aides and exchange views with one another,” according to the lawsuit (PDF) filed in New York federal court. The suit, which adopts a unique constitutional theory about social media rights, comes a month after the Knight First Amendment Institute threatened to sue Trump unless the president unblocked its clients from what it called a “designated public forum.” Being blocked from Trump’s Twitter feed, they said, was illegal and akin to a mayor ejecting critics from city hall meetings. Trump takes to Twitter to announce and denounce everything from North Korea missile launches to the latest domestic and foreign policy issues. The president announced the nomination of Christopher Wray to become FBI director on Twitter, and he even told his Twitter followers that he did not tape meetings with then-FBI Director James Comey. And just this weekend, the president sparked controversy when he tweeted that he wanted the US and Russia to create a joint “cyber security unit.” To date, Trump has amassed 33.7 million Twitter followers, up roughly two million from a month ago. The new lawsuit also names White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and Daniel Scavino, the White House director of social media. “Defendants’ viewpoint-based blocking of the Individual Plaintiffs from the @realDonaldTrump account infringes the Individual Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights. It imposes an unconstitutional restriction on their participation in a designated public forum,” the suit says. “It imposes an unconstitutional restriction on their right to access statements that Defendants are otherwise making available to the public at large. It also imposes an unconstitutional restriction on their right to petition the government for redress of grievances.” The Knight First Amendment Institute is also a named plaintiff. Although it has not been blocked by Trump, the organization claims that it has a constitutional right to read the views of those who have been blocked. “Defendants’ viewpoint-based blocking of the Individual Plaintiffs violates the Knight Institute’s First Amendment rights by distorting the expressive forum in which the Knight Institute and other non-blocked users participate,” the suit alleges. The suit asks that a federal judge declare it unconstitutional to block people on Trump’s feed. The lawsuit also demands that Trump be barred from blocking people on his Twitter feed. Reuters ]]>

______________________________________________________________________ NBA Accredited Service Provider, "Momodu B. Law Publishing" Unveils Landmark Law Publications And Services — Order Now! The publishing firm has produced an impressive catalogue of authoritative legal texts authored by its proprietor, Basil Momodu, Esq., For inquiries, contact: 📧 momodulawpublishing@yahoo.com 📞 07051822705 ______________________________________________________________________ “Your Must-Have Legal Classic” — 225-Page Hardback Offering The Definitive Guide To Electoral Security In Nigeria And The U.S. Edited by Dr. Akin Olawale Oluwadayisi, Ph.D; ACIArb, FIPDM, Notary Public, Awi Boluwaji, and Olumide Awoyemi, LL.M, Price: ₦20,000 or $20 per copy Order Your Copy Now:📧 Email: benakollegalclassics@gmail.com,📱 WhatsApp: 07038211889, 📞 Voice Call: 07065830466 | +2347038211889 ______________________________________________________________________ “Timely And Groundbreaking” — Babalola, Nnawuchi Release Casebook On Privacy & Data Protection In NigeriaA timely new publication, Casebook on Privacy & Data Protection in Nigeria, co-authored by Olumide Babalola and Uchenna Nnawuchi, 📘Casebook on Privacy & Data Protection in Nigeria is now available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/8TmFZrd ______________________________________________________________________ Groundbreaking Guide For Lawyers: Adigwe Publishes ‘Artificial Intelligence For Lawyers’ With Free Research eBook Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACiarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria. How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626 ______________________________________________________________________ Explore Nigeria’s Constitutional System — 17 Chapters, 924 Pages Of Insight By Prof. Hagler Sunny Okorie

Call to Order Your Copy: 📞 0803 766 7945 | 0802 863 6615 | 0803 225 3813 ✉️ haglersoco@gmail.com 🏢 Winners Chambers, 135 Ehi Road, Aba, Abia State ___________________________________________________________________ The books are available for purchase at: Online: www.educodex.com | www.selar.com | www.amazon.com | www.mikeozekhome.com Enquiries: +234 704 044 9375 | +234 814 813 4773 | +234 816 872 3532 Email: educodexl@gmail.com ______________________________________________________________________

[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials

Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation ______________________________________________________________________ Alexander Payne Co. Law Reports

Contact & Orders 📞 0704 444 4777 | 0704 444 4999 | 0818 199 9888 🌐 www.alexandernigeria.com