Trump can’t use his iPhone to block protesters from his Twitter feed

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This is the Trump iPhone, but not Trump's iPhone.
This isn't really Trump's phone. But he does use an iPhone to tweet, and to violate the Constitution.
Photo: Caviar

All President Donald Trump’s many tweets come from his trusty iPhone, and he’s not shy about blocking people who use this social network platform to respond to his comments.

Today, however, a federal judge ruled that blocking anyone from accessing the president’s Twitter feed is a violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, ruled that Trump’s Twitter account is a public forum. As such, no one can be blocked from participating.

Public not private

Years ago, his @realDonaldTrump account was only for personal posts. But, as president, Trump frequently uses it to make official announcements. Rex Tillerson learned he’d been fired from his job as secretary of state by a tweet from this account, for example.

A Twitter feed is more than one person’s opinions because others can reply to tweets, and those replies are available for anyone to see.

Essentially, the judge ruled that Trump’s comments and the replies to it amount to a public forum. And it’s currently a forum that heaps praise on the president without a hint of criticism because he blocks anyone who posts a negative comment.

Exactly how many people have been blocked is unknown, but some well-known celebrities are on the list, including authors Stephen King and Anne Rice, and actors Rosie O’Donnell and Marina Sirtis.

Seven Twitter users and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University sued to force Trump and White House social media director Dan Scavino to unblock them.

Abridging the freedom of speech

“While we must recognize, and are sensitive to, the president’s personal First Amendment rights, he cannot exercise those rights in a way that infringes the corresponding First Amendment rights of those who have criticized him,” Buchwald wrote in her ruling today.

Trump is free to ignore critical comments, the judge said, or to bring greater attention to ones he likes. But he can’t prevent his critics from participating in a public forum, which is what his Twitter feed has become.

The judge didn’t specifically order Trump or Scavino to unblock anyone. She said her ruling that their actions were unconstitutional should be enough to get the men to take action.

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