Ocasio-Cortez Slammed with Two Lawsuits After Court Ruling Against Trump Paves the Way
A court ruling aimed at President Donald Trump is now being used as the basis for a lawsuit against Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a resident of Ocasio-Cortez’s district, is one of two men suing Ocasio-Cortez, Fox News reported.
“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has blocked me on Twitter yesterday apparently because my critique of her tweets and policies have been too stinging,” Hikind said in a statement.
The lawsuit said Hikind, a staunchly pro-Israel legislator, was blocked after he criticized Ocasio-Cortez for a comment she made that likened detention centers along America’s southern border to concentration camps.
The law applies to socialists just as it does to capitalists.
See ya in court, @AOC https://t.co/RZNeK6os6A pic.twitter.com/Jdlx0CAuUy
— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) July 10, 2019
“Just today the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a ruling that elected officials cannot block individuals from their Twitter accounts, thereby setting a precedent that Ocasio-Cortez must follow. Twitter is a public space, and all should have access to the government officials on it,” Hikind said in his statement.
Trump had been sued for blocking access to his Twitter account, through which he sends a mix of governmental, personal and political messages. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals said Trump’s account was covered by the First Amendment’s protection of free speech.
Judge Barrington D. Parker wrote for the majority: “We do conclude that 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.”
“It’s unclear if Ocasio-Cortez is aware of this ruling or not,” Hikind said in his statement, “but either way, I have decided, after speaking with my legal counsel, to initiate a lawsuit against her for blocking me and a host of other public figures.
“Ocasio-Cortez is acting cowardly and should be ashamed of her attempts to silence me. I’ve done nothing but address her ignorance and disregard for the truth. She constantly brags about the millions of followers she has but is afraid of my speech. She is a hypocrite.”
His lawsuit seeks to end the blocks against anyone Ocasio-Cortez has blocked on Twitter.
No one is above the law. If the courts ruled POTUS can’t block people on Twitter, why would @AOC think she can get away with silencing her critics? pic.twitter.com/Ea498kTWEs
— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) July 9, 2019
“I’m looking forward to the day where she has to unblock me so that free speech in America is guaranteed even when it offends!” he said.
A second suit against Ocasio-Cortez was filed by Joseph Saladino, a Republican running for Congress in New York’s 11th District, not far from the 14th District represented by Ocasio-Cortez.
I have officially filed my lawsuit against AOC for blocking me on twitter.
Trump is not allowed to block people, will the standards apply equally?
Stay tuned to find out! pic.twitter.com/0RmHI7x9Qc— Saladino for Congress (@JoeySalads) July 9, 2019
“I’m suing AOC because we need to be able to have a strong and vigorous debate between the parties, otherwise our fragile system of ideas and representation breaks down,” Saladino said in a statement. “Though she is not in a position of power, she is the voice of her generation of Democrat voters, and bigger than some of the Presidential candidates.”
Also blocked was Daily Wire reporter Ryan Saavedra, who made the banned list by issuing a scathing tweet about Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez speaks in an accent that she never uses while telling a room of predominately black people that there is nothing wrong with them folding clothes, cooking, and driving other people around on a bus for a living. pic.twitter.com/FIbIAPokt0
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) April 5, 2019
As of Wednesday afternoon, Ocasio-Cortez had not replied to media outlets seeking comment about the lawsuits.
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