There’s a strange free speech battle raging over President Donald Trump’s tweets, but it actually has nothing to do with his oft-times controversial proclamations.
As it turns out, some of the U.S. citizens whom he has blocked from viewing his messages are now demanding that he unblock them — or face legal action.
Attorneys with the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University sent a letter this week to Trump, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and White House counsel Dan Scavino, accusing president of restricting citizens’ free speech.
The argument goes as follows: blocking users means that they can no longer interact with Trump and their free speech is, thus, impeded, as Mashable noted.
BREAKING: Knight Institute demands that President Trump unblock critics on Twitter. https://t.co/AyftwQBzJF @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/Gqas7i2DfN
— Knight 1st Amendment (@knightcolumbia) June 6, 2017
Right now, no legal action has been taken, but the Twitter users who were reportedly blocked by Trump after criticizing or disagreeing with him are apparently willing to work with the Knight First Amendment Institute to take the issue to the courts if Trump doesn’t agree to remedy the situation.
The Twitter dispute surrounds the president’s @realDonaldTrump account and not @POTUS, which adds some intrigue into the mix surrounding whether the former account — which the commander-in-chief used well before he announced a run for the presidency — is personal or official in some capacity.
“The President’s Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, is a ‘designated public forum’ subject to the First Amendment,” a statement from the legal group reads. “The First Amendment bars the government from excluding individuals from a designated public forum because of their views.”
Good tweet. Supports our view that @realDonaldTrump is a “designated public forum" under the 1st Amendment. https://t.co/xj6neydo6k pic.twitter.com/Cw7KwkRZHC
— Knight 1st Amendment (@knightcolumbia) June 6, 2017
The Knight First Amendment Institute is asking that Trump or his associates unblock those he has restricted from viewing his tweets, as they say he is using the account as “a means of political communication.”
The case, which is certainly intriguing, comes at a time when politicians are increasing turning to social media to connect with voters and U.S. citizens.
Another twist: now @PressSec says @realDonaldTrump's tweets are official White House statements.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 6, 2017
With some of the laws not yet catching up to the use of evolving technologies, it will be intriguing to see where the battle goes next.
It’s clear, though, that the Knight Institute believes it has a solid case and argument, especially after Spicer told reporters this week that Trump’s tweets are “official statements.”
“As it becomes commonplace for public officials to use social media for constituent communication, and Twitter and other platforms move to center stage in modern democracy, the courts will be called upon to decide the new contours of First Amendment protection,” the Knight First Amendment Institute proclaimed.
This is pretty much how the whole world sees you.#AMJoy#SundayMorning pic.twitter.com/CycqYnKg8b
— Holly O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) May 28, 2017
Twitter user Holly O’Reilly is just one of the individuals being represented by the Knight Institute. She was reportedly blocked by Trump after sharing a critical post featuring a GIF of the president meeting with Pope Francis.