KrisAnne Hall On President Trump, Twitter And The First Amendment (Controversial)

President Trump has been blocking people from his @realDonaldTrump account. A federal judge says Trump is violating the First Amendment. Is the right to freedom of speech being violated by Trump through his actions on Twitter? The answer to this question requires a two-step Constitutional review process.

First, Twitter is a private forum, run by a private company. Something becomes a violation of rights when the government is the offender. People do not have their rights violated when Twitter, as a private company, censors and blocks persons from their forum. Private businesses still retain the right to refuse to do business with customers, regardless of the confusion created by the recent issues with photographers and cake bakers. Additionally, people do not have their rights violated when they are blocked on Twitter by another private individual. The principle here is: No government actor, no violations of rights.

But this is not only a question of Twitter blocking customers. This is a question of the President of the United States, a government actor, blocking discussion from his Twitter feed. So the question is: Is Donald Trump a private citizen or a government actor?

The argument could be made that the @realDonaldTrump account is Trump’s personal account and as a private account maintained by a private citizen, people being blocked do not have their rights being violated. However that argument fails the moment Donald Trump discusses “presidential business” on this “private” account.

Trump transforms his private account into the account of a government agent through his own choice of topics discussed. Since Trump is president, he is a government agent. Since Trump uses his Twitter account to discuss presidential business the account is not private, it becomes a public forum. Therefore, those blocked by Trump on his @realDonaldTrump account are having their voice silenced by a government actor regarding public affairs. This is a clear violation of the right to freedom of speech.

The quick fix for Mr. Trump is to not block anyone, or to stop using the @realDonaldTrump account to discuss public business and confine that conversation to the @POTUS account. That way he may maintain control over his truly private account and leave government business to the government account.

“The quick fix for Mr. Trump is to...stop using the @realDonaldTrump account to discuss public business”

And that’s what the Deep State, the Uniparty, and the enemedia want is to isolate the President and to force him to have to communicate to the people through the “filter” of the hostile media.

No.

That contemptible judge can shove her order right up her ***! And I hope that DJT tells her as such by ignoring her idiocy.

Your entire argument is demolished by a single fact: In making her ruling, the judge ruled that twitter falls under the heading of "a public forum," not a private one.

If that characterization stands, twitter no longer retains its right to censor participants.

3 posted on 05/25/2018 8:57:50 AM PDT by FredZarguna (And what Rough Beast, its hour come round at last, slouches toward 5th Avenue to be born?)

“Something becomes a violation of rights when the government is the offender.”

So if a private party robs or murders you, it’s not a violation of your rights?

So, by that reasoning, every time the POTUS opens his mouth away from a public microphone he’s violating someone’s 1st Amendment right?

Somehow I don’t believe that’s what James Madison had in mind when he developed the Bill of Rights.

5 posted on 05/25/2018 9:03:48 AM PDT by Bratch ("The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke)

Twitter is a private company and therefore can sensor or block whoever they want and for whatever reason they want. The first amendment does not apply. BTW the same rules apply here on the FR.

6 posted on 05/25/2018 9:28:19 AM PDT by Sir_Humphrey (Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people -Socrates)

So ... who is going to get industrious and publish the twitter accounts of every democrat public official so that we can ALL now spam them with just how vile and disgusting we think they are. Now that they can’t block our comments or free speech no matter how hurtful or hateful or truthful (within the bounds of legality of course).

Please actually read the Judge's opinion, then take your objections up with her, because she's the person who ruled that twitter is a public forum.

She has NOT to my knowledge, made any such ruling regarding FR.

8 posted on 05/25/2018 10:18:47 AM PDT by FredZarguna (And what Rough Beast, its hour come round at last, slouches toward 5th Avenue to be born?)

Ludicrous. Next President Trump will be sued for screening White House guests and press pool visitors, and who he takes questions from during press interviews.

Trump blocking people from his Twitter feed does not prevent them from using Twitter. It simply prevents them from hijacking the conversation and wasting everyone’s time.

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