As Twitchy reported in May, a judge ruled that President Trump’s personal Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, is a public forum and by blocking followers, he was violating their free-speech rights under the First Amendment.
We’re still waiting to see if other politicians and public figures will be forced to unblock users using that logic, but for now, plaintiffs like Dr. Eugene Gu are celebrating their victory in court. It took a few weeks, but Gu has finally been unblocked.
I sued Trump and won. Thanks to the hard work of my co-plaintiffs, Katie Fallow and our legal team, and the Knight First Amendment Institute, the President of the United States just unblocked me on Twitter. Not even Trump can infringe upon our First Amendment rights. pic.twitter.com/8Gf7vM59l8
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) June 5, 2018
— BT (@back_ttys) June 5, 2018
Stunning & Brave. https://t.co/TIbtsXQK1G
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) June 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/emylou_81/status/1003820823638048768
Next time someone complains about our overloaded courts show them this tweet. https://t.co/3h9K0xseUo
— Senate Popular VotEEE (@EEElverhoy) June 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/niezawislosc/status/1003987616893734912
You went through all that trouble just to get unblocked by someone you hate… https://t.co/heHwi9osZD
— ?? (@DonEscobar593) June 5, 2018
Can’t he still mute you? https://t.co/0TQ9WLuNYN
— ??? (@DjNastyNipplez) June 5, 2018
Now you’re muted instead https://t.co/ZxU0cnHhk1
— Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) June 5, 2018
LOL.
Congrats on being muted by the President! What a victory! https://t.co/iecQNoAl3T
— Pradheep J. Shanker, M.D., M.S. (@Neoavatara) June 5, 2018
What an adorable way to let everyone on Twitter know you’re an immature, petty beta. https://t.co/CxPB1qmEB1
— Jeremy “don’t learn to code” Frankel (@FrankelJeremy) June 5, 2018
i dont think this person gets the can of worms that may have been opened for future people to use when it comes to twitter/social media, and politicians/public figures lol. https://t.co/j2Fc3imQvy
— Tom (@Ph1llyTom) June 5, 2018
It seems a lot of politicians and celebrities had better get to work unblocking people if they’re violating the First Amendment.
So shouldn't everyone on Twitter be able to say whatever they want within legal limits without getting banned? Why does Twitter ban users for so-called "hate speech" when it's something that is legal to say on the street? https://t.co/3Fm7darbQq
— Paul Niven (@pauljniven) June 5, 2018
It looks like this might not be the end of it …
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is asking an appeals court to restore his power to block critics on Twitter.
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) June 5, 2018
Related:
WHOOPS! Judge's ruling on Donald Trump's Twitter account could open up a YUGE can of worms https://t.co/8XsfgYlsFD
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 23, 2018
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