The ACLU of Colorado has sued a Republican state lawmaker after he blocked a constituent on social media, adding to a nationwide trend of lawsuits that already have cost Colorado taxpayers.
The federal lawsuit against state Sen. Ray Scott, a Grand Junction Republican, filed Monday, alleges that two years ago Scott blocked Anne Landman, a vocal critic, on his official Facebook and Twitter accounts. The lawsuit argues that Scott violated Landman’s First Amendment rights and seeks an order to unblock.
“Sen. Scott censored me for being a critical constituent. Yet, he’s allowed his like-minded followers to ridicule me on his page and retain their right to speak freely,” Landman said in a statement. “This doesn’t feel like democracy. This feels like hypocrisy and punishment for having a different point of view.”
Scott was not immediately available for comment.
The lawsuit stems from the Supreme Court decision known as Packingham v. North Carolina, in which the court’s justices said that social media has become one of the most important places to debate public policy. The ACLU has filed lawsuits against officials in Kentucky, Maine and Maryland.
Scott is not the first Colorado lawmaker to face such a lawsuit. Last month, state Senate President Leroy Garcia, a Pueblo Democrat, was fined $25,000 for banning a constituent from Facebook. The state covered his fines, .
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