Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gets slammed with 2 lawsuits that accuse her of blocking people on Twitter

Advertisement
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gets slammed with 2 lawsuits that accuse her of blocking people on Twitter

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Advertisement

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being sued by two individuals who say the congresswoman blocked them on Twitter.

In both lawsuits, the plaintiffs are seeking injunctive relief from a court that would force Ocasio-Cortez to unblock the individuals.

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

"I have officially filed my lawsuit against AOC for blocking me on Twitter," congressional candidate Joseph Saladino, one of the two men suing Ocasio-Cortez, tweeted on Wednesday. "Trump is not allowed to block people, will the standards apply equally? Stay tuned to find out!"

Ocasio-Cortez's office did not respond to a request for comment regarding the lawsuits as of publishing.

Advertisement

FILE - In this June 25, 2019, file photo, President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Over 20 state governors are backing California leaders in a showdown with the Trump administration over mileage standards. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Associated Press

President Donald Trump.

Both Saladino and the other man who filed suit, former state assemblyman Dov Hikind, point to a recent ruling in a US appeals court that said President Trump wasn't legally allowed to block people from following him on Twitter.

Read more: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blocked a conservative news outlet on Twitter, and legal experts say that could be unconstitutional

"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," the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit said in its ruling.

Since both Ocasio-Cortez and President Trump are public officials, and since both use Twitter for official purposes, the ruling would seemingly apply in a similar way to all public officials.

Advertisement
{{}}