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Trump Can’t Block Critics From His Twitter Account, Appeals Court Rules
The New York Times ^ | 07/09/2019 | Charlie Savage

Posted on 07/09/2019 10:36:30 AM PDT by Trump20162020

WASHINGTON — President Trump has been violating the Constitution by blocking people from following his Twitter account because they criticized or mocked him, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. The ruling could have broader implications for how the First Amendment applies to the social-media era.

Because Mr. Trump uses Twitter to conduct government business, he cannot exclude some Americans from reading his posts — and engaging in conversations in the replies to them — because he does not like their views, a three-judge panel on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled unanimously.

The ruling upheld a May 2018 decision by a Federal District Court judge that also found Mr. Trump’s practice of blocking his critics from his Twitter account to be unconstitutional. After that ruling, the White House unblocked the specific plaintiffs’ accounts — but not other users who were not involved in the case — while filing an appeal.

Judge Parker was appointed by President George W. Bush. He was joined in the opinion by Judges Peter Hall, another Bush appointee, and Christopher Droney, an appointee of former President Barack Obama. The district court judge whose earlier ruling the panel affirmed was Naomi Buchwald, a Clinton appointee.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: donaldtrump; trump; trumptwitteraccount; twitter
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If there ever was a time to just ignore a ruling. Like seriously, what are they even going to do if Trump doesn't unblock someone on Twitter?
1 posted on 07/09/2019 10:36:30 AM PDT by Trump20162020
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To: Trump20162020

So what happens if he does? The lib judge will scream, stomp his feet and demand Pelosi IMPEACH?


2 posted on 07/09/2019 10:38:25 AM PDT by apillar
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To: Trump20162020

There you have it, gang. For us it’s OPEN SEASON on every Democrat who tweets.


3 posted on 07/09/2019 10:38:59 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog (Patrick Henry would have been an anti-vaxxer.)
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To: Trump20162020

How many divisions does this “judge” have?


4 posted on 07/09/2019 10:39:36 AM PDT by rjsimmon (The Tree of Liberty Thirsts)
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To: Trump20162020

“Like seriously, what are they even going to do if Trump doesn’t unblock someone on Twitter?”

I’m sure our domestic enemies have a long list of Trump’s associates they haven’t harassed, subpoena’d or jailed yet.


5 posted on 07/09/2019 10:40:18 AM PDT by treetopsandroofs
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To: Buckeye McFrog

Just make sure you sue if any Democratic politician blocks you on Twitter. This retarded ruling can’t just apply to Trump. The Second Circuit’s jurisdiction includes AOC’s district even.


6 posted on 07/09/2019 10:41:16 AM PDT by Trump20162020
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To: Trump20162020

Twitter can ban his conservative followers but Trump can’t ban his critics? Evil.


7 posted on 07/09/2019 10:41:30 AM PDT by deadrock
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To: Trump20162020

I’ve never had a Twitter account, but doesn’t an account holder have to approve followers who can comment on their posts? If so, what if he simply closed out his Twitter account and conducted his social media commentary on another platform?


8 posted on 07/09/2019 10:42:49 AM PDT by ScottinVA (The most urgent gathering threat to America: the Democrat Party)
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To: Trump20162020

If there ever was a time to just ignore a ruling. Like seriously, what are they even going to do if Trump doesn’t unblock someone on Twitter?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Actually, this is a good ruling. See main thread.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3762708/posts


9 posted on 07/09/2019 10:44:00 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd
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To: ScottinVA
but doesn’t an account holder have to approve followers who can comment on their posts?

No, but they can block anyone for any reason.

But apparently "any reason" applies to everyone but Donald Trump.

10 posted on 07/09/2019 10:44:21 AM PDT by Trump20162020
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To: Trump20162020

He isn’t conducting government business. He isn’t signing laws, giving military commands or anything else. He’s expressing his opinion.

And why does conducting government business mean that all are granted access? Do random strangers sit in on cabinet meetings?


11 posted on 07/09/2019 10:45:12 AM PDT by relictele
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To: Trump20162020
No, but they can block anyone for any reason. But apparently "any reason" applies to everyone but Donald Trump.

Then, he needs a different platform. There are many others.. were he to switch, that new one would suddenly become very popular.

12 posted on 07/09/2019 10:46:10 AM PDT by ScottinVA (The most urgent gathering threat to America: the Democrat Party)
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To: relictele

Doesn’t Trump have 2 accounts, the r@ealDonaldTrump and @POTUS.

Does this ruling apply to one or both?

And Twitter is nuts if they think this ruling is good for them.


13 posted on 07/09/2019 10:48:38 AM PDT by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds)
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To: mewzilla

@realDonaldTrump....


14 posted on 07/09/2019 10:49:06 AM PDT by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds)
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To: relictele

They say they’re blocked from reading, but that is bullcrap. All they’d need to do is literally just sign out and they could read every Trump tweet they felt like. A block on reading only applies if you’re logged into a blocked account. It takes two seconds to press “log out.”

This ruling really needs to be overturned/ignored. It’s retarded.


15 posted on 07/09/2019 10:49:13 AM PDT by Trump20162020
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To: relictele

What if Trump uses government computers and I presume, government phones, to track personal yoga sessions or a child’s / grandchild’s wedding?

I’ll bet that the House and some in the judiciary would notice.


16 posted on 07/09/2019 10:50:36 AM PDT by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
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To: Trump20162020

If he can’t block people, nobody else can block people. You can’t have a ruling like this for just one individual.


17 posted on 07/09/2019 10:51:33 AM PDT by livius
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To: Trump20162020

Well, this is an interesting ruling. This effectively means that no congresscritter can block people either. Unless the partisan ‘judge’ is willing to go on record that it only applies to Presidents named Trump.


18 posted on 07/09/2019 10:52:31 AM PDT by zeugma (Power without accountability is fertilizer for tyranny.)
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To: Trump20162020
What if it's not a real person, but just a bot ID that's doing nothing but filling up his Twitter feed in some sort of DoS attack?

-PJ

19 posted on 07/09/2019 10:52:40 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too (The 1st Amendment gives the People the right to a free press, not CNN the right to the 1st question.)
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To: Trump20162020
If there ever was a time to just ignore a ruling. Like seriously, what are they even going to do if Trump doesn't unblock someone on Twitter?

The judge will just direct Twitter to disable Trump's ability to block people. And Twitter will comply.

20 posted on 07/09/2019 10:53:00 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 ("Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." -- Voltaire)
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