A US judge in New York on Wednesday ruled that President Donald Trump may not legally block Twitter users from his account on the social media platform based on their political views.

Trump has made his @RealDonaldTrump Twitter account an integral and controversial part of his presidency, using it to promote his agenda, announce policy and attack critics. He has blocked many critics from his account, which prevents them from directly responding to his tweets.

US&nbspDistrict Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan ruled that comments on the president's account, and those of other government officials, were public forums, and that blocking Twitter users for their views violated their right to free speech under the First Amendment of Constitution.

Eugene Volokh, a University of California Los Angeles School of Law professor who specializes in First Amendment issues, said the decision’s effect would reach beyond Trump.

“It would end up applying to a wide range of government officials throughout the country,” he said.

The US&nbspDepartment of Justice, which represents Trump in the case, said, "We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision and are considering our next steps."

Twitter Inc, which is not a party to the lawsuit, declined to comment on the ruling.

Buchwald's ruling was in response to a First Amendment lawsuit filed against Trump in July by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and several Twitter users.

The individual plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Philip Cohen, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland Holly Figueroa, described in the complaint as a political organizer and songwriter in Washington state and Brandon Neely, a Texas police officer.

Cohen, who was blocked from Trump's account last June after posting an image of the president with words "Corrupt Incompetent Authoritarian," said he was "delighted" with Wednesday's decision.

"This increases my faith in the system a little," he said.

Novelists Stephen King and Anne Rice, comedian Rosie O'Donnell, model Chrissy Teigen, actress Marina Sirtis and the military veterans political action committee VoteVets.org are among the others who have said on Twitter that Trump blocked them.

Buchwald rejected the argument by Justice Department lawyers that Trump's own First Amendment rights allowed him to block people with whom he did not wish to interact.

"While we must recognize, and are sensitive to, the president’s personal First Amendment rights, he cannot exercise those rights in a way that infringes the corresponding First Amendment rights of those who have criticized him," Buchwald said.

She said Trump could "mute" users, meaning he would not see their tweets while they could still respond to his, without violating their free speech rights.

Duke University constitutional law professor Stuart Benjamin said he disagreed with Buchwald's finding that parts of Trump and other officials' Twitter accounts were public forums. He said he thought such a designation would require a more explicit statement to that effect by the government.

“If Donald Trump is giving a speech to 100 hand-picked people, and one of them heckles him, he gets to throw that person out,” said Benjamin, adding that he thought the president had a strong chance of winning an appeal of Buchwald's decision.

Buchwald stopped short of ordering Trump to unblock users. Trump had argued that the court did not have the power to issue a direct order against the president.

The judge said she disagreed, but that there was no need to get into a "legal thicket" over the issue because she assumed Trump or his social media director Dan Scavino, who also was a defendant in the case, would unblock the users in light of her decision.

Cohen said Trump had not yet unblocked him as of late Wednesday afternoon.

"Personally, I’m skeptical that he will take that step without more legal pressure," he said.

Judge ruled that comments on the president's account, and those of other government officials, were public forums, and that blocking Twitter users for their views violated their right to free speech under the First Amendment of Constitution.

A US judge in New York on Wednesday ruled that President Donald Trump may not legally block Twitter users from his account on the social media platform based on their political views. Trump has made his @RealDonaldTrump Twitter account an integral and controversial part of his presidency, using it to promote his agenda, announce policy and attack critics. He has blocked many critics from his account, which prevents them from directly responding to his tweets. US&nbspDistrict Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan ruled that comments on the president's account, and those of other government officials, were public forums, and that blocking Twitter users for their views violated their right to free speech under the First Amendment of Constitution. Eugene Volokh, a University of California Los Angeles School of Law professor who specializes in First Amendment issues, said the decision’s effect would reach beyond Trump. “It would end up applying to a wide range of government officials throughout the country,” he said. The US&nbspDepartment of Justice, which represents Trump in the case, said, "We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision and are considering our next steps." Twitter Inc, which is not a party to the lawsuit, declined to comment on the ruling. Buchwald's ruling was in response to a First Amendment lawsuit filed against Trump in July by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and several Twitter users. The individual plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Philip Cohen, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland Holly Figueroa, described in the complaint as a political organizer and songwriter in Washington state and Brandon Neely, a Texas police officer. Cohen, who was blocked from Trump's account last June after posting an image of the president with words "Corrupt Incompetent Authoritarian," said he was "delighted" with Wednesday's decision. "This increases my faith in the system a little," he said. Novelists Stephen King and Anne Rice, comedian Rosie O'Donnell, model Chrissy Teigen, actress Marina Sirtis and the military veterans political action committee VoteVets.org are among the others who have said on Twitter that Trump blocked them. Buchwald rejected the argument by Justice Department lawyers that Trump's own First Amendment rights allowed him to block people with whom he did not wish to interact. "While we must recognize, and are sensitive to, the president’s personal First Amendment rights, he cannot exercise those rights in a way that infringes the corresponding First Amendment rights of those who have criticized him," Buchwald said. She said Trump could "mute" users, meaning he would not see their tweets while they could still respond to his, without violating their free speech rights. Duke University constitutional law professor Stuart Benjamin said he disagreed with Buchwald's finding that parts of Trump and other officials' Twitter accounts were public forums. He said he thought such a designation would require a more explicit statement to that effect by the government. “If Donald Trump is giving a speech to 100 hand-picked people, and one of them heckles him, he gets to throw that person out,” said Benjamin, adding that he thought the president had a strong chance of winning an appeal of Buchwald's decision. Buchwald stopped short of ordering Trump to unblock users. Trump had argued that the court did not have the power to issue a direct order against the president. The judge said she disagreed, but that there was no need to get into a "legal thicket" over the issue because she assumed Trump or his social media director Dan Scavino, who also was a defendant in the case, would unblock the users in light of her decision. Cohen said Trump had not yet unblocked him as of late Wednesday afternoon. "Personally, I’m skeptical that he will take that step without more legal pressure," he said.

Trump's blocking of critics on Twitter violates Constitution: US judge

US President Donald Trump, who has garnered a large following on social media with rambunctious postings, said he sometimes tweets from bed, though he occasionally allows others to post his words.

Trump frequently uses Twitter to announce policy, assail his adversaries and to tangle with countries, including North Korea, over world affairs. The @realDonaldTrump account had 47.2 million users as of Sunday.

In an interview with Britain&#39;s ITV channel, he appeared to appreciate the wide impact of his postings in Twitter and said that he needed social media to communicate with voters in the era of what he termed fake news.

&quot;If I don&#39;t have that form of communication I can&#39;t defend myself,&quot; Trump said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. &quot;I get a lot of fake news, a lot of news that is very false or made up.&quot;

It was a crazy situation, he said, that many people in the world waited for his tweets. He usually tweets himself, sometimes from bed.

When asked about whether he was lying in bed with his phone thinking of how to wind people up, Trump said: &quot;Well, perhaps sometimes in bed, perhaps sometimes at breakfast or lunch or whatever, but generally speaking during the early morning, or during the evening I can do whatever, but I am very busy during the day, very long hours. I am busy.&quot;

&quot;I will sometimes just dictate out something really quickly and give it to one of my people to put it on,&quot; he said.

Asked about eating burgers and drinking Coke, Trump, 71, said: &quot;I eat fine food, really from some of the finest chefs in the world, I eat healthy food, I also have some of that food on occasion... I think I eat actually quite well.&quot;

Trump said that he was very popular in the United Kingdom. Some British politicians have called for Trump not to visit and 1.86 million people have signed a petition asking for him to be banned from entering the United Kingdom.

&quot;I get so much fan mail from people in your country - they love my sense of security, they love what I am saying about many different things,&quot; Trump said.

BREXIT

Trump would take a &quot;tougher&quot; approach to Brexit negotiations than British Prime Minister Theresa May.

When asked if May was in a &quot;good position&quot; regarding the ongoing Brexit talks, Trump replied: &quot;Would it be the way I negotiate? No, I wouldn&#39;t negotiate it the way it&#39;s [being] negotiated ... I would have had a different attitude.&quot;

Pressed on how his approach would be different, he said: &quot;I would have said the European Union is not cracked up to what it&#39;s supposed to be. I would have taken a tougher stand in getting out.&quot;

He said the United States would do a post-Brexit trade deal with the United Kingdom.

He was pressed on how some women opposed him and he said he supported women and that many women understood that.

Trump said women, in particular, liked his support for a strong military as they often wanted to feel safe at home.

&quot;There&#39;s nobody better than me on the military... I think women really like that. I think they want to be safe at home,&quot; Trump said. &quot;I have tremendous respect for women.&quot;

&quot;No, I wouldn&#39;t say I am a feminist. I mean, I think that would be maybe going too far: I am for women, I am for men, I am for everyone.&quot;

He said French President Emmanuel Macron was a friend and that he liked him a lot.

Trump frequently uses Twitter to announce policy, assail his adversaries and to tangle with countries, including North Korea, over world affairs.

US President Donald Trump, who has garnered a large following on social media with rambunctious postings, said he sometimes tweets from bed, though he occasionally allows others to post his words. Trump frequently uses Twitter to announce policy, assail his adversaries and to tangle with countries, including North Korea, over world affairs. The @realDonaldTrump account had 47.2 million users as of Sunday. In an interview with Britain's ITV channel, he appeared to appreciate the wide impact of his postings in Twitter and said that he needed social media to communicate with voters in the era of what he termed fake news. "If I don't have that form of communication I can't defend myself," Trump said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. "I get a lot of fake news, a lot of news that is very false or made up." It was a crazy situation, he said, that many people in the world waited for his tweets. He usually tweets himself, sometimes from bed. When asked about whether he was lying in bed with his phone thinking of how to wind people up, Trump said: "Well, perhaps sometimes in bed, perhaps sometimes at breakfast or lunch or whatever, but generally speaking during the early morning, or during the evening I can do whatever, but I am very busy during the day, very long hours. I am busy." "I will sometimes just dictate out something really quickly and give it to one of my people to put it on," he said. Asked about eating burgers and drinking Coke, Trump, 71, said: "I eat fine food, really from some of the finest chefs in the world, I eat healthy food, I also have some of that food on occasion... I think I eat actually quite well." Trump said that he was very popular in the United Kingdom. Some British politicians have called for Trump not to visit and 1.86 million people have signed a petition asking for him to be banned from entering the United Kingdom. "I get so much fan mail from people in your country - they love my sense of security, they love what I am saying about many different things," Trump said. BREXIT Trump would take a "tougher" approach to Brexit negotiations than British Prime Minister Theresa May. When asked if May was in a "good position" regarding the ongoing Brexit talks, Trump replied: "Would it be the way I negotiate? No, I wouldn't negotiate it the way it's [being] negotiated ... I would have had a different attitude." Pressed on how his approach would be different, he said: "I would have said the European Union is not cracked up to what it's supposed to be. I would have taken a tougher stand in getting out." He said the United States would do a post-Brexit trade deal with the United Kingdom. He was pressed on how some women opposed him and he said he supported women and that many women understood that. Trump said women, in particular, liked his support for a strong military as they often wanted to feel safe at home. "There's nobody better than me on the military... I think women really like that. I think they want to be safe at home," Trump said. "I have tremendous respect for women." "No, I wouldn't say I am a feminist. I mean, I think that would be maybe going too far: I am for women, I am for men, I am for everyone." He said French President Emmanuel Macron was a friend and that he liked him a lot.

I tweet from bed sometimes, US President Trump says

A free speech group sued US President Donald Trump for blocking Twitter users from his @realDonaldTrump account, arguing the practice violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

The lawsuit, brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University in New York and joined by seven individual Twitter users, claims Trump blocked a number of accounts whose owners replied to his tweets with comments that criticised, mocked or disagreed with the president.

Trump&#39;s blocking of the accounts amounted to an unconstitutional effort to suppress dissent, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York.

Because Trump frequently turns to Twitter to make policy statements, his account qualifies as a public forum from which the government cannot exclude people on the basis of their views, according to the lawsuit. Twitter users are unable to see or respond to tweets from accounts that block them.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump&#39;s tweets were considered &quot;official statements by the president of the United States.&quot;

The suit names Spicer and Dan Scavino, the White House director of social media, as defendants in addition to Trump. It asks for the blocking to be deemed unconstitutional and seeks an injunction to require the president to unblock users.

The complaint follows a letter from the Knight Institute to Trump last month warning it would sue if users were not unblocked.

&quot;Everyone being able to see the president&#39;s tweets feels vital to democracy,&quot; Joseph Papp, one of the seven Twitter users involved in the suit, said in a statement. Papp, an author, said he had been a registered Republican for 10 years and did not join the suit for political reasons, but that he &quot;felt a deep sense of unease&quot; when he was blocked.

Trump&#39;s Twitter use has drawn intense interest for his unvarnished commentary about his agenda and attacks on critics. His tweets often lead to tens of thousands of retweets and comments and can shape the news.

The Knight Institute&#39;s arguments may have merit, independent free speech and internet law scholars say, in part because Trump&#39;s tweets are used to announce policy decisions or can influence legislation. Previous cases involving politicians blocking users on Facebook may bolster its case.

The federal suit was filed in the Southern District of New York.

A free-speech group sued US President Donald Trump for blocking Twitter users from his @realDonaldTrump account

A free speech group sued US President Donald Trump for blocking Twitter users from his @realDonaldTrump account, arguing the practice violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The lawsuit, brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University in New York and joined by seven individual Twitter users, claims Trump blocked a number of accounts whose owners replied to his tweets with comments that criticised, mocked or disagreed with the president. Trump's blocking of the accounts amounted to an unconstitutional effort to suppress dissent, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York. Because Trump frequently turns to Twitter to make policy statements, his account qualifies as a public forum from which the government cannot exclude people on the basis of their views, according to the lawsuit. Twitter users are unable to see or respond to tweets from accounts that block them. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump's tweets were considered "official statements by the president of the United States." The suit names Spicer and Dan Scavino, the White House director of social media, as defendants in addition to Trump. It asks for the blocking to be deemed unconstitutional and seeks an injunction to require the president to unblock users. The complaint follows a letter from the Knight Institute to Trump last month warning it would sue if users were not unblocked. "Everyone being able to see the president's tweets feels vital to democracy," Joseph Papp, one of the seven Twitter users involved in the suit, said in a statement. Papp, an author, said he had been a registered Republican for 10 years and did not join the suit for political reasons, but that he "felt a deep sense of unease" when he was blocked. Trump's Twitter use has drawn intense interest for his unvarnished commentary about his agenda and attacks on critics. His tweets often lead to tens of thousands of retweets and comments and can shape the news. The Knight Institute's arguments may have merit, independent free speech and internet law scholars say, in part because Trump's tweets are used to announce policy decisions or can influence legislation. Previous cases involving politicians blocking users on Facebook may bolster its case. The federal suit was filed in the Southern District of New York.

Trump violates 'First Amendment of the US Constitution'

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