LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A federal judge on Thursday [3-8-18] expressed skepticism about whether U.S. President Donald Trump can constitutionally block Twitter users whose views he does not like from following and responding to his own Twitter account. At a hearing in Manhattan federal court, U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald asked Michael Baer, a lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice arguing for Trump, whether letting the president bar users from @realDonaldTrump would violate their First Amendment free speech rights. … ‘Once it is a public forum, you can’t shut somebody up because you don’t like what they’re saying,’ Buchwald said. … Near the close of the hearing, Buchwald suggested the lawsuit could be easily resolved if Trump agreed to mute, rather than block, Twitter users whose tweets he did not want to read. Both sides’ lawyers said they were receptive to the idea. … The lawsuit was filed against Trump in July by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and several Twitter users. Buchwald is considering motions from both sides seeking judgment in their favor.”
– Brendan Pierson, “U.S. judge questions whether Trump can block Twitter users,” Reuters, Mar. 8, 2018 7:54am