Trump blocking his critics on Twitter violates First Amendment, judge rules

President Donald Trump has made directing scorn on Twitter a defining feature of his presidency. But when the animus is leveled back at him, the nation’s leader has a habit of silencing those critics by blocking them.

Now a federal judge says Trump has to face the heat, ruling that the president and his staff blocking anyone on Twitter is unconstitutional because the platform amounts to a “public forum.”

U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan handed down the ruling Wednesday in response to a lawsuit brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University U.S. President Donald Trump signs legislation in the Oval Office of the White House in 2017 in Washington, D.C.

last July on behalf of seven Twitter users who were blocked by Trump after replying unfavorably to his tweets.

Buchwald said that their inability to reply to Trump’s tweets after being blocked amounted to a violation of their First

Amendment rights.

Buchwald disagreed with the government’s assertion that the blocked Twitter users’ right to free speech does not apply in this case because Trump was acting as a private individual through his @realdonaldtrump account.

“This case requires us to consider whether a public official may, consistent with the First Amendment, ‘block’ a person from his Twitter account in response to the political views that person has expressed, and whether the analysis differs because that public official is the president of the United States,” Buchwald said. “The answer to both questions is no.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

The Justice Department said in an emailed statement that it would fight the ruling.

“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision and are considering our next steps,” a spokesperson said.