The Supreme Court has recently been asked to pause limits on White House social media requests that have been issued in a case challenging the Trump administration’s decision to block some users from following the official @realDonaldTrump account on Twitter.
The lawsuit, brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, argues that the President violated the right to free speech by selectively blocking users from engaging in political discourse through the @realDonaldTrump account. In late May, a federal judge found that the President violated the First Amendment by doing so, and issued an injunction preventing the White House from blocking any future users from the account. The Trump administration has appealed the decision, and the Supreme Court is now being asked to suspend the lower court’s ruling while the appeal is pending.
The Knight First Amendment Institute’s lawyer, Jameel Jaffer, said that the injunction is necessary to protect the right to free speech. “The Supreme Court should put a stop to the Trump administration’s continued effort to deny people their right to speak out when the president speaks on Twitter,” he said.
The case is being closely watched by First Amendment advocates and social media users, who are concerned about the implications of the ruling for the ability to engage in political discourse on social media platforms. If the Supreme Court grants the Trump administration’s request, it could make it difficult to hold presidents accountable on social media, as White House social media requests and restrictions will be left unchecked.
