Congressional Candidate Files Lawsuit Against AOC For Blocking Him On Twitter

A congressional candidate has officially filed a lawsuit against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) for blocking him on Twitter.

“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!” Joey Saladino said on Twitter, attaching photos of the court filing.

https://twitter.com/JoeySalads/status/1148654321896251394

He also posted a screenshot of the block:

https://twitter.com/JoeySalads/status/1148958851892490240

Saladino’s court filing is timely. Tuesday, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that President Trump could not block Twitter users, recognizing that Twitter was a “public forum.”

This site reported:

President Donald J. Trump cannot block Twitter users, according to a Tuesday federal court ruling.
“A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that President Trump is not allowed to block people on Twitter over statements he does not like, affirming a lower court’s decision that declared the president’s account a ‘public forum,’ Fox News said.
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals made the ruling.

“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,” the court said.
The ruling is frustrating to some internet users on the political right, not because Trump cannot block users, but because of the court’s reasoning. The court recognizes that Twitter is a “public forum,” but the federal government and the judiciary branch have yet to extend that reasoning to private citizens banned from Big Tech platforms. If Twitter is a “public forum,” shouldn’t it be open to the entirety of the public?
Laura Loomer, the most banned woman on the internet, had her Twitter account permanently suspended in November after she criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) for being “anti-Jewish.” Loomer is currently suing the Twitter and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) over the company’s decision to ban her account, which had over 260,000 followers.

Saldino is a candidate for Congress in New York’s 11th District, and will battle for a seat held by first term Democrat incumbent Max Rose.

“Joey Saladino decided to run for Congress because he wants to be the voice for New York District 11,” according to Saladino’s website. “The State and City governments loathe the district and actively pursue an agenda of hostility towards the working-class people who live there. Joey is here to fight back, and he will be able to carry the District’s voice into Congress.”

Saladino is a YouTube and Twitter personality who goes by “Joey Salads,” and who touted his ability to reach a large audience using social media, similarly to the way Ocasio-Cortez uses Twitter and Instagram to connect with her fans.

“Joey wants to apply his working class, New York City values to work in Congress and use his voice, a reach of over 10 million followers and 1 billion views per year, to work for New York District 11,” his site said. “He is sick of the anti-American, anti-working-class agenda the Democrat Party is pursuing and will be your voice, the voice of the people in 2020 and beyond.”