A federal judge has ruled that Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) can block a former Democratic Colorado state lawmaker from getting to her via a social media site.
“Blocking a Twitter user on an account created before she was elected to office is something Ms. Boebert could do before she was in office and could do after she leaves office,” U.S. District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico ruled on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.
The case was brought by former Democratic state Rep. Bri Buentello, who claimed that by blocking him, Boebert was violating his freedom of speech. But Boebert blocked him only on her personal Twitter account, not her congressional account. Buentello lives in Boebert’s congressional district.
“It is a blow to our freedom of speech when a politician using a platform such as Twitter can block voices of dissent which she disagrees with, and the courts won’t intervene to stop this First Amendment violation,” David Lane, an attorney representing Buentello, said of the decision last week.
Buentello’s lawyers argued that because Boebert sometimes uses her personal Twitter account to put out official policy, it should be unlawful for her to block constituents. But the judge dismissed that argument.
Boebert made headlines last week when she introduced a resolution to censure President Biden for what she called a “dereliction of duty” at the U.S.-Mexico border.
More than 20 House Republicans quickly signed on as co-sponsors, ripping Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who the president put in charge of the border.
“They must be held accountable. And that’s why today I am proud to lead my colleagues in filing a bill to censure President Joe Biden for his dereliction of duty and failing to secure the southern homeland. He has refused to enforce the laws that Congress has passed to secure our border. He has refused to visit the border,” Boebert said.
“His border czar Kamala has failed to visit the border. His secretary of homeland security is lying to the American people, saying that our border is closed. Meanwhile, this administration is dumping fuel on this fire by flying illegal immigrants from Central America at taxpayer expense and allowing thousands of illegal immigrants to enter and remain in our communities,” she said.
“Girls are being assaulted, children are being abandoned at the border, families are self separating because of Joe Biden’s policies. Children six years of age and under may cross with an adult, but seven years and older are sent back. So parents are choosing to self-separate from their children, putting their children in the hands of the cartel. And then this administration reunites them in another area of the country, on the other side of the border,” Boebert said.
“Our law enforcement has been overrun and speaking with one Border Patrol agent. He said we had a plan. But, like the famous saying goes, everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face — and the Biden regime has punched our border patrol agents in the face.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) also blasted the Biden administration as a “complete disaster.”
“President Biden and Vice President Harris have sent an unequivocal message that they prefer illegal immigrants over Americans,” Biggs said. “Their radical agenda has erased our southern border.”