PRIORITIES

Trump to Appeal Federal Ruling on Blocking Twitter Critics

A judge found the practice unconstitutional last month.

The Justice Department has vowed to appeal a ruling handed down by a federal judge last month that prohibited President Trump from blocking people from his Twitter account, according to a court filing submitted Monday. Seven plaintiffs had sued the president over his habit of blocking users with whom he doesn’t agree, and U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald sided with them, ruling that it would be unconstitutional for the president, as a public official, to block Twitter users for their political views. As of Monday, the seven plaintiffs at the center of the lawsuit had been unblocked, but they were said to be “disappointed” that the government is now appealing that “thoughtful and well-supported ruling,” their lawyer,  Jameel Jaffer, told Reuters. Trump has more than 52 million followers on Twitter and often uses the social-media platform to announce policy and attack critics.