Libertarian Party of Iowa Files Suit against Iowa Senator Claire Celsi

PRESS RELEASE (July 23, 2019) — The Libertarian Party of Iowa (LPIA) and Thomas Halterman filed a lawsuit against Iowa Senator Claire Celsi in federal court for violating the First Amendment rights of Iowans. Sen Celsi recently engaged in unconstitutional conduct, namely in limiting the Iowa voter’s ability to engage in discourse on her Twitter account, @claire4iowa. Thomas Halterman, a resident of Iowa District 21 and a registered voter, made several attempts to participate in a civil discussion regarding issues brought up by the Senator on her Twitter account. Similarly, LPIA Chair Joseph Howe, along with multiple commentators on Twitter, challenged Sen Celsi’s position on 2nd Amendment rights. After a civil conversation on the matter, Sen Celsi blocked several of the participants from her Twitter account, demonstrating a general lack of regard for the diverse political voices of Iowans everywhere. This conduct was recently found to be a violation of the 1st Amendment by a federal court. Specifically, the court held that President Trump could not block individuals on his Twitter account as it was an infringement on their ability to petition their government for redress of grievances. It is unfortunate to see an Iowa Senator engaging in the same conduct. In the past, Sen Celsi has publicly invited Iowans to contact her in order to discuss any issues or concerns. As Iowans frequently use social media to communicate and elected officials use their social media accounts as public forums in which to discuss political issues, the LPIA has no other choice but to protect the 1st Amendment rights of Iowans by pursuing legal action against the Senator. We contend that Sen Celsi’s Twitter account (@claire4iowa) is used to discuss her political agenda as a senator, and therefore she must respect Iowans’ 1st Amendment rights to participate in discussion in this forum. Blocking Iowans from her Twitter account degrades the citizen’s ability to exercise his or her 1st Amendment rights by restricting the ability to engage in discourse with an elected official. Indeed, days after tweeting that journalists are “guardians of our democracy,” Sen Celsi blocked Adam Sullivan of the Cedar Rapids Gazette from her Twitter account. Due to our party’s strong belief in the protection of our constitutionally guaranteed rights, the Plaintiffs, through their counsel Julia A Ofenbakh, has filed the following suit and expect that through this process, the 1st Amendment rights of all Iowans will be treated with increased respect. Court filing attached via link: Celsi Petition  About the Libertarian Party of Iowa: Founded in 1975, the LPIA has promoted Libertarian ideals and candidates for four decades. In 2018 the Libertarian Party had a record number of votes cast for Libertarian candidates and ran a record number of candidates. Nearly a dozen Libertarians are currently elected to county and city non-partisan offices and the party is concentrating on electing Libertarians to additional local offices in 2019. The Libertarian Party of Iowa has over 14,000 registered members and is the fastest growing political organization in Iowa.   For more information about The Libertarian Party of Iowa, including photos to use in your publication, please contact us or visit: Lpia.org