Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by former Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who accused the lawmaker of violating the First Amendment by blocking him on Twitter.
In a statement, Ocasio-Cortez said on Monday that she had “reconsidered” her decision to block Hikind from her account. She conceded that Hikind, an outspoken conservative, was exercising his constitutionally-protected right to free speech by criticizing her on Twitter.
The announcement, first reported by the New York Post, comes just one day before Ocasio-Cortez was scheduled to testify in federal court in Brooklyn.
“Mr. Hikind has a First Amendment right to express his views and should not be blocked for them,” she said. “In retrospect, it was wrong and improper and does not reflect the values I cherish. I sincerely apologize for blocking Mr. Hikind.”
The lawmaker, who has 5.7 million Twitter followers, previously defended her decision to block about 20 Twitter users from her personal account because she argued that their online behavior amounted to harassment.
Hikind made the following statement:
“A resolution has been reached in the First Amendment case I brought against congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and she will be unblocking me,” said Hikind. “I’ll be responding to the release of the agreement details, and the apology from Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. But I can tell you that it’s a big victory for freedom of speech! The consequences of this case are much farther reaching than my own Twitter account, because it affirms the Constitutional right of American citizens to directly petition those in positions of power without the threat of being shut out from conversations that affect everyday life.”
“You’ll also hear from our legal team who brought this case forward and to a successful resolution. They deserve thanks and praise from free speech advocates everywhere.”
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