Reed, Blunt violated users’ free speech on Facebook and Twitter, lawsuits claim – STLtoday.com

St. Louis Aldermanic President Lewis Reed oversees debate at St. Louis City Hall among aldermen expressing their support and opposition to Board Bills 215 and 2016 that deal with tax issues around the MLS soccer stadium on Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. Both bills were moved forward in the process by a 26-1. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com

ST. LOUIS Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed and U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt are violating the First Amendment rights of constituents in the way they mute criticism on their social media accounts, according to two federal lawsuits filed Tuesday.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Washington University law schools First Amendment clinic filed the suits on behalf of Sarah Felts of St. Louis and Dennis Enloe of Union, Missouri.

The fact that a public official disagrees with you on an issue doesnt mean they can silence you, Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri, said in a news release Tuesday. That holds true whether youre speaking out in a public park, at a town hall meeting, or on social media.

Felts suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District alleged that Reeds Twitter account, @PresReed, blocked Felts account from his page because she made a post that was critical of President Reeds actions and policies. As a result, Felts suit claimed, Reed has prevented Ms. Felts from participating in public discourse in a government-controlled public forum.

A screenshot of @sarahfelts' Twitter account included in a federal lawsuit against Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed allegedly shows Felts was blocked by Reed in 2019.

Mary Goodman, Reeds legislative director, said neither she nor Reed were aware Felts was blocked on Twitter until a Post-Dispatch reporter called Tuesday about the lawsuit. Goodman said it seems like a minor issue that Felts was blocked and that it can literally be fixed at the click of a button.

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Reed, Blunt violated users' free speech on Facebook and Twitter, lawsuits claim - STLtoday.com