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Wednesday 9 august 2017 UP FRONT
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Maine governor sued by ACLU for blocking critics on Facebook

By MARINA VILLENEUVE behalf of a transgender
Associated Press student. The governor has
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — called the Facebook ac-
Republican Gov. Paul LeP- count a political page, and
age was sued Tuesday by the page’s “about” section
the American Civil Liberties describes itself as LePage’s
Union of Maine for blocking “official page- but not man-
critics on his official Face- aged by gov’t officials.”
book page and deleting The ACLU, meanwhile, says
their comments. The ACLU LePage has posted to it in
filed the federal lawsuit on his official capacity as gov-
behalf of two women, say- ernor on several occasions.
ing their First Amendment The ACLU’s lawsuit refer-
rights were violated. The ences a remark LePage
lawsuit seeks attorney fees, made in a recent radio ap-
a court declaration that pearance about his efforts
the governor’s use of his to bypass the news media
page violates the women’s by using the Facebook
freedom of speech and page. “They’re so bad,”
a court order preventing LePage said, referring to
LePage from continuing his journalists. “And you know
censorship. LePage’s office what we found that works?
didn’t immediately make We go Facebook Live and
him available for comment. we ignore them and they
The civil liberties organiza- Maine Gov. Paul LePage pauses during a meeting at the State House in Augusta, Maine. The get even angrier.” The law-
American Civil Liberties Union of Maine sued LePage on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017, for blocking critics
tion recently filed similar on his official Facebook page and deleting their comments. The ACLU filed the federal lawsuit on suit is filed on behalf of Kelli
lawsuits against Republican behalf of two women, saying their First Amendment rights were violated. Whitlock Burton, a Waldo-
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) boro resident, and Karin
and Republican Maryland Donald Trump for blocking organization. The group dents who voted in Maine, Leuthy, a Camden resident
Gov. Larry Hogan. The people on Twitter. last fall called for a federal and LePage in 2015 joined and the co-founder of Suit
Knight First Amendment LePage has long been at investigation into LePage’s a brief opposing the na- Up Maine, a statewide lib-
Institute is suing President odds with the civil liberties call to “verify” college stu- tional ACLU’s lawsuit on eral grassroots network.q