Federal judge rules Trump can’t block followers on Twitter
President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-In in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May 22, 2018, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP)
NEW YORK — A federal judge in New York says President Donald Trump violates the First Amendment by blocking critics on Twitter for political speech.
Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan issued the written decision Wednesday.
In ruling, she said no government official — including the president — is above the law.
The case was brought last July by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and seven individuals blocked by Trump after criticizing the Republican president.
After a hearing this year, the judge had suggested that Trump mute rather than block some of his critics. At the time, a Justice Department attorney agreed that muting would enable Trump to avoid a tweet he doesn’t want to read.
