‘MOB RULE’

NJ School Official Accused of Anti-Trans Tweets Cries ‘Dystopian’ Witch Hunt

“The anonymous speaker is exercising his or her First Amendment rights,” a lawyer for the New Jersey official said.

A New Jersey school official suspected of running a transphobic Twitter account has filed an ethics complaint against the school board’s president and vice president, accusing them of leading a “dystopian search” that violates the anonymous tweeter’s First Amendment rights, according to NJ.com. Last week, the Hunterdon Central Regional High School Board of Education launched an investigation into the Twitter account, which was littered with what it called “hateful ideas,” including criticizing the high school for including trans women in a display celebrating Women’s History Month. On Monday, the board said, it received evidence from a local LGBTQ+ community group that the now-deactivated account was run by member Rebecca Petersen. Attorney Ron Berutti, who represents Petersen, told NJ.com that the identity of the person behind the account was “unimportant,” insisting instead that “mob rule” had allowed the board to “violate the civil rights of a speaker because they disagree with the speaker’s point of view.”