Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) apologized for blocking the Twitter account of a former Brooklyn assemblyman as she agreed to settle a First Amendment lawsuit, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Per the New York Daily News, Ocasio-Cortez was scheduled to testify in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday in the case, brought by Dov Hikind in July — days after a federal appeals court made a landmark ruling that President Trump violated the Constitution in blocking critics on Twitter.
- The ruling set a precedent that any elected official — from a local mayor to the president — who blocks a constituent on Twitter could be found guilty of violating that constituent's First Amendment rights, Axios' Sara Fischer notes.
What he's saying: Hikind said on Twitter the outcome was a "great victory not only for me, but for citizens and free speech everywhere!"
The big picture: Ocasio-Cortez tweeted in August that she had blocked fewer than 20 Twitter accounts "for ongoing harassment."
- YouTuber and NY-11 Republican Congressional candidate Joey Saladino tweeted in July that he had also filed a suit against the freshman lawmaker after she blocked him.
- He tweeted on Monday, "Hopefully this means she must unblock me as well. Unfortunately for me, I had several lawyers who had to drop out of my lawsuit due to the extreme controversial nature."
Go deeper: Trump's unexpected 1st Amendment legacy
