A Non-profit organisation, The Knight First Amendment Institute, at Columbia University, New York City has sued the U.S. President, Donald Trump with the claim that his practice of blocking Twitter users violates the First Amendment.

The organization whose work is to defend and strengthen freedom of speech and the press in the digital age through strategic litigation, research, and public education,”

Trump, who uses the twitter account @realDonaldTrump account in office, has been sued by the free-speech group, along with seven individual Twitter users, reports said.

“President Trump’s Twitter account has become an important source of news and information about the government, and an important public forum for speech by, to, and about the President.

The lawsuit was filed in the federal court, Southern District of New York. The suit claimed that the president who couldn’t handle the criticism of his government and policies have blocked its users. This blocking of users was a violation of the U.S. Constitution, and this suit seeks to end it,” the lawsuit reads.

It was noted in June by the White House spokesman, Sean Spicer that Trump’s tweets are official statements and the White House often sends out official statements every time the President tweets.

Trump, along with Spicer and Dan Scavino, the White House Director of Social mLMedia, are the defendants in the lawsuit.

The seven individual plaintiffs in the suit are writer and political consultant Rebecca Buckwalter, Prof. Philip Cohen, political organizer Holly Figueroa, resident in general surgery Eugene Gu, police officer Brandon Neely, former professional cyclist Joseph Papp and comic/writer Nicholas Pappas.

The federal suit is case number 1:17-cv-05205.

The White House is yet to make any comment on the suit.

 (NAN)