Judge James Donato of the Northern District of California has dismissed former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Twitter. The former President has accused former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey of violating his right to free speech by handing him a lifetime ban on the social media platform.
“Plaintiffs’ main claim is that defendants have “censor[ed]” plaintiffs’ Twitter accounts in violation of their right to free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Donato stated, according to Tech Crunch.
“Plaintiffs are not starting from a position of strength.”
Donato also pointed out that Twitter is a privately owned company and therefore, the company has the ability to ban users at its discretion. The judge also knocked down Trump’s assertion that Twitter was somehow acting on behalf of the federal government because Democratic lawmakers wanted Trump kicked off the platform.
“The amended complaint merely offers a grab-bag of allegations to the effect that some Democratic members of Congress wanted Mr. Trump, and ‘the views he espoused,’ to be banned from Twitter,” Donato added, according to Tech Crunch.
Despite the lawsuit, it appears that he has no interest in returning to the platform if allowed.
“I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on Truth,” he told Fox News in April.
Meanwhile, Dorsey has laid plans to leave the company. Recently, Elon Musk made a play to acquire the social media platform for upwards of $40 billion.
“Elon’s goal of creating a platform that is “maximally trusted and broadly inclusive” is the right one. This is also ParagaAgrawal’s goal, and why I chose him. Thank you both for getting the company out of an impossible situation,” Dorsey tweeted in April.
“This is the right path…I believe it with all my heart.
