President of the United States of America, Donald Trump have been accused of blocking a number of accounts that mocked, disagreed or criticized his views or actions. This action taken by the president, goes against a part of the constitution suppressing speech in a public forum protected by the constitution. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Twitter Inc said it had no comment.
The lawsuit was filed by the Knight First Amendment Institute, a free speech group at Columbia University. The institute’s senior staff attorney, Alex Abdo related Twitter to a modern form of town hall meeting or public comment periods for government agency proposals, both venues where U.S. law requires even-handed treatment of speech. Seven Twitter users involved claim their accounts were blocked by the president, or his aides, after they replied to his tweets with mocking or critical comments.
Eric Goldman, a Santa Clara University law professor who focuses on internet law, said that if the institute should sue Trump, he could claim his @realDonaldTrump account is for personal use and separate from his official duties as president. The Knight Institute said its arguments would apply with “equal force” to both accounts. It is a known fact that Trump’s twitter use has drawn intense attention for his attacks on critics and praise on allies. His tweets are often retweeted and shapes the news.
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