Missouri lawmaker can block constituent on Twitter, appeals court rules
A state legislator embroiled in a years-long battle with a constituent over her Twitter account won a ruling Wednesday from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals allowing her to block other users.
State Rep. Cheri Reisch, R-Hallsville, has been in court since 2018 over her decision to block the account of Mike Campbell of Centralia when he retweeted a message critical of her. She lost in U.S. District Court after a trial in April 2019 when Judge Brian Wimes ruled that her account was a public forum under the control of Reisch for the primary purpose of promoting her legislative and political efforts.
As such, he wrote, Reisch must allow anyone to follow her and comment on her posts.
The appeals court disagreed in a 2-1 ruling, with Judge Morris Arnold writing in the majority opinion that Reisch’s account was primarily a private account for campaign purposes and she could block anyone she sees fit.
Read more: https://missouriindependent.com/2021/01/28/missouri-lawmaker-can-block-constituent-on-twitter-appeals-court-rules/