Donald Trump and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are in legal trouble because they’ve reportedly blocked people on Twitter, but some Tennesseans might not realize Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen has done much the same thing.
Cohen, a Democrat, represents Tennessee’s Ninth Congressional District.
As The Epoch Times reported, some people are suing Cortez for blocking them on Twitter.
Members of Cohen’s office did not return The Tennessee Star’s request for comment Friday as whether anyone has sued him for blocking people on Twitter. The Star also wanted to know how many people Cohen has blocked on Twitter and whether he would reconsider his policy of blocking people.
According to The Epoch Times, “an appeals court ruling has spurred multiple lawsuits against Cortez from people who say the lawmaker blocked their accounts on Twitter.”
“One of the plaintiffs, Republican congressional candidate Joseph Saladino, is seeking ‘injunctive relief from the court’ so that he could be unblocked by the congresswoman’s official account,” the website reported.
“I have officially filed my lawsuit against AOC for blocking me on Twitter.”
Also, according to the website, The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this month that U.S. Republican President Donald Trump violated the First Amendment when he blocked users from viewing and commenting on his Twitter messages.
“The court determined that the president’s Twitter account is an official rather than a personal account, making his use of Twitter’s blocking feature akin to a government official excluding people he or she doesn’t agree with from a public forum.”
According to The Star last year, Cohen blocked the account of Twitter user Sean Spicier, a parody account and a play on the name of President Donald Trump’s former White House communications front man Sean Spicer.
At the time, Spicier mocked Cohen’s endorsement of Beto O’Rourke, who, at the time, wanted Ted Cruz’ Texas U.S. Senate seat.
Other people, including an author at Twitchy.com, complained Cohen blocked her for criticizing his on-the-job rhetoric.
Also, as The Star reported, a top official with the New York City-based Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University said people who have been blocked by a member of Congress on Twitter can take legal action.
Courts, of course, have already ruled on this issue as it pertains to executive-level offices in government, including governors and the U.S. president. They have yet to rule on members of Congress.
Cohen, on his Twitter page, identifies himself as a U.S. congressman. He shares his views on pending litigation in Congress, including legislation he’s sponsoring. He comments frequently on President Trump and various federal policies. Cohen follows nearly 8,000 people and has more than 50,000 followers. Other people on Twitter comment on his page to share their views with him.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
[…] of Cohen’s office did not return The Star’s request for comment last week as to whether anyone has sued him for blocking people on Twitter. The […]