Conservative critics of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are coming for the New York progressive, saying what’s good for the goose is good for the gander when it comes to being blocked from blocking trolls folks on Twitter.
Dov Hikind, a former New York state assemblyman, and Joseph “Joey Salads” Saladino, a YouTuber running for Congress who, according to the New York Times, has been taken to task for pranks deemed racist, didn’t hesitate to get down to the federal courthouse in New York’s Brooklyn borough to file suit.
An appeals court in a separate case ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump couldn’t block folks on Twitter, saying it was unconstitutional for a public figure like Trump to block comments from people he doesn’t like or who don’t agree with him.
Hikind and Saladino, who’ve both been blocked on Twitter by Ocasio-Cortez, filed their suit against Ocasio-Cortez shortly after the appellate ruling. They say if Trump isn’t allowed to stop contacts from people he doesn’t care for, neither is Ocasio-Cortez.
As the Washington Post noted, Saladino took to—what else?—Twitter to comment on his suit:
Hikind, who is founder of a group called Americans Against Anti-Semitism, told the Times that he was blocked by AOC after he criticized her for comparing the migrant detention camps at the U.S. southern border to Nazi concentration camps.
“It’s very clear based on the court’s ruling that AOC is violating my constitutional rights to free speech by excluding me,” Hikind told the Times. “She doesn’t want me to be a part of the discussion and conversation.”
Saladino admitted to the Times that since he still stalks AOC’s account by using an “anonymous” account, he doesn’t really care that he’s been blocked. Instead, the point of his complaint, as the Times explains, “is a test of whether there is a double standard in the courts for liberals and conservatives.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s office said it would not comment on pending litigation.
DISCUSSION
My understanding is that the decision against Trump revolved around the fact that he conducts government business via Twitter. It’s not as clear to me that AOC does the same.