Free Speech Expert @KenPaulson1 available to comment on Trump's Preliminary Injunction filed to restore Twitter account

On Friday, October 1, Donald Trump's legal team filed a request for a preliminary injunction, urging Robert Scola, Jr., the presiding judge of the federal court in Miami, to require Twitter to restore immediate access to the former president's account.

In this latest step, Trump repeats contentious claims of violations of free speech and censorship on both constitutional and Florida state law grounds.

"In seeking a preliminary injunction, the former president contends that 'irreparable harm' occurs if he’s not able to communicate with his followers on Twitter," says free speech expert Ken Paulson. "Has there ever been a public figure with more of a megaphone than Donald Trump? His every utterance appears globally within seconds even without Twitter. Under the First Amendment, he’s free to share his views, but not pick his platform.”

Drawing on his background as a journalist and lawyer, Paulson explains, "Just as Americans’ free speech is protected against government intervention, we also can’t be compelled to speak. Social media companies can’t be forced to “speak” by posting content that violates their standards."

Paulson is available for interviews and more in-depth discussions on Trump's claims and other matters related to free speech and the First Amendment.

Paulson is former editor-in-chief of USA Today, where he remains a columnist writing about First Amendment and media issues.

He founded the Free Speech Center at MTSU in 2019. He was President and CEO of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and served as the center’s executive director before that. 

He speaks widely on First Amendment issues and has been quoted extensively in media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, ESPN, CBS Evening News and Newsweek. 

Paulson has testified before Congress as a First Amendment expert.

He has a juris doctorate and is a member of both the Illinois and Florida bars.Paulson has served as editor or managing editor of newspapers in five states.

Paulson was on the team of journalists who founded USA Today before moving on to manage newsrooms in N.Y., Wis., N.J., Fla., and finally USA TODAY.