Last week, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez settled a Twitter blocking lawsuit, unblocked former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, and admitted that he had a First Amendment right to express his views and should not be blocked. Despite making this admission, Ocasio-Cortez still has multiple critics blocked on Twitter.
According to the New York Post, the following accounts are still being blocked by the congresswoman:
- Rep. Niraj Antani (@NirajAntani)
- One America News (OAN) host Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler)
- Daily Wire Reporter Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra)
- Former journalist Harry Cherry (@TheHarryCherry)
- News website The Daily Caller (@DailyCaller)
The account of pro-Trump student movement Students For Trump also said that it’s being blocked by Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez has previously claimed that she has fewer than 20 accounts blocked for “ongoing harassment.”
Saavedra said he was blocked in April after posting a video showing Ocasio-Cortez using an altered accent while speaking to an African-American audience at Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. Saavedra added that the two engaged in a brief argument before he called her a liar and was blocked.
Wheeler said she was blocked in July after criticizing Ocasio-Cortez for voting against a bill that would have provided $4.5 billion in aid to migrants at the US border. Wheeler also challenged Ocasio-Cortez to show her the harassment and added that her criticism was “strictly policy-based.”
The Daily Caller said it was blocked for this “communist cow farts” tweet.
While Ocasio-Cortez currently has these critics blocked, a growing body of legal precedents indicates that this practice could be unconstitutional.
Beyond settling the recent lawsuit and admitting that Hikind should not be blocked for expressing his First Amendment views, the Knight First Amendment Institute has previously urged Ocasio-Cortez to unblock her critics and suggested that the practice violates their First Amendment rights.
Earlier this year, the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals also upheld a ruling that it’s unconstitutional for public officials to block people on Twitter for political views. Additionally, an August ruling reaffirmed that it’s unconstitutional for a politician to block people on Twitter.
