Federal appeals court says Trump can't block critics on Twitter
SalonJul 09, 2019
SCOTUS Rules on Public Officials and Social Media Use
The Facts
The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) on Friday ruled on two cases involving public officials' social media use, establishing guidelines to delineate the personal and public nature of a government official’s social media account.
SCOTUS ruled unanimously that there are times when public officials can be sued for blocking critics on social media. Writing for the court, Amy Coney Barrett said that officials who use personal accounts to make official statements can't delete critical comments or block users.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Lower courts had consistently weighed in, ruling that public officials, especially the President of the US, cannot violate the 1st Amendment by blocking their critics on social media. During his tenure, Donald Trump used Twitter in an inflammatory way and would often block his critics. While the Supreme Court held off ruling on the case, likely to protect Trump, it's now clear that the former president violated the Constitution with his actions. These new rulings are vital and validating.
Republican narrative
The bigger problem at hand is the utter hypocrisy of left-leaning big tech companies and the media who call for immediate censorship of any critical opinion. These actors violate the 1st Amendment daily, yet they are up in arms about Pres. Trump removing a few people from his feed. The issue of public officials and social media is a serious legal question — as this ruling shows — but the establishment is trying to make it about Trump while ignoring its own hypocrisy.
