Ala. Secretary of State sued for Twitter policy

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – A lawsuit has been filed against Alabama’s secretary of state for blocking people on Twitter.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by three people who said Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill had blocked them from his Twitter account “because of opinions they expressed or questions they asked.”

American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama Director Randall Marshall said Merrill largely posts about the activities of his public office and blocking people deprives them of that information. The lawsuit argues it is a First Amendment violation to put a “viewpoint-based restriction” on access.

Merrill, a prolific Twitter user, said he has blocked people he considers harassing or rude. But he said they can still “reach me whenever they want to.” Merrill said he makes his cell phone number available to the public.

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