Trump is told to STOP blocking critics on Twitter by federal judge who warns president he is breaking the First Amendment by stopping 'haters' seeing his tweets

  • A New York appeals court ruled that President Donald Trump cannot block his critics on Twitter 
  • The decision upholds another court ruling that said the action from the president is unconstitutional 
  • 'The First Amendment does not permit a public official ... to exclude persons from an otherwise open online dialogue,' the judge wrote in the decision
  •  Trump has blocked several accounts from viewing or following his @realDonaldTrump account
  • The case was originally brought in 2017 by seven people who were blocked from the president's account after posting disparaging comments

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump cannot block his critics on Twitter.

The decision from the New York appeals court upholds an earlier ruling that deems the president violated the First Amendment by blocking individual users from the Twitter feed he uses to communicate with the public.

The appeals court judge said that if a public official uses a social media platform to conduct official business, then by blocking individuals they are cutting off citizens from open dialogue.

'The First Amendment does not permit a public official who utilizes a social media account for all manner of official purposes to exclude persons from an otherwise open online dialogue because they expressed views with which the official disagrees,' Judge Barrington Parker wrote in the unanimous decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.

A New York appeals court ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump cannot block his critics on social media

A New York appeals court ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump cannot block his critics on social media

Many accounts have shared images that show they were blocked by the @realDonaldTrump account, which is the primary account where the president communicates with the public

Many accounts have shared images that show they were blocked by the @realDonaldTrump account, which is the primary account where the president communicates with the public

Seven people who were blocked from the president's @realDonaldTrump account after posting disapproving comments originally brought the case in 2017.

The lower court ruled Trump's actions unconstitutional and ordered he unblock all those he blocked.

Some high profile individuals Trump has blocked at one point in time include author Stephen King, model Chrissy Teigen, actress Rosie O'Donnell and journalist Lauren Wolfe, among several others. 

'Trump has blocked me from reading his tweets. I may have to kill myself,' King wrote when he found out he was blocked by the president.

Tiegen noted when she was blocked, that the final straw for Trump was when she said that no one likes him.

'After 9 years of hating Donald J Trump, telling him 'lol no one likes you' was the straw,' she tweeted in 2017. 

The case could have implications for how elected officials interact with constituents online – especially those who are critical of the official and their policies.

The First Amendment prevents 'viewpoint discrimination,' which is a provision that blocks the government in power and specific officials from excluding or blocking views they disagree with.

The Supreme Court has not yet taken on a case that would directly address how this law is applied to social media and other online platforms.

The court ruled that Trump blocking his critics is unconstitutional as it violates the First Amendment

The court ruled that Trump blocking his critics is unconstitutional as it violates the First Amendment

Trump posts multiple times each day from the account he held before becoming president, and the main @POTUS account usually just reposts tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account

Trump posts multiple times each day from the account he held before becoming president, and the main @POTUS account usually just reposts tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account

One account, @TravisAllen02, boasted in his Twitter bio that he was blocked three times by the president

One account, @TravisAllen02, boasted in his Twitter bio that he was blocked three times by the president

The Tuesday decision also echoes a Richmond-based appeals court ruling involving the Facebook page of a Virginia politician. 

Many users have boasted in tweets, and even in their Twitter biographies, that they have been blocked by Trump.

One account, @TravisAllen02, whose claim to fame is 'helping Democrats get elected,' said he was blocked by the president on three separate occasions.

'Blocked by Trump three times,' he wrote in his bio.

When news of the court ruling emerged, Allen wrote it was time for him to file a lawsuit against the president.

Wolfe, who listed in her Twitter bio that she writes for Foreign Policy magazine, The New York Times, The Atlantic and more, also added as one of her accomplishments that she is 'blocked by Trump.'

A comic book creator wrote he was 'blocked by Trump since before it was unconstitutional.'

Some have also tweeted out images of the president' Twitter page with the message '@realDonaldTrump blocked you. You are blocked from following @realDonaldTrump and viewing @realDonaldTrump's Tweets.'