"While often misunderstood to apply to the actions of private organizations that people don't agree with (e.g., kicking people off a social media platform for hate speech or telling someone to leave a physical establishment for being disruptive), the Constitution's First Amendment actually prevents the government from retaliating against citizens for engaging in protected speech, which is precisely what Aaron's lawsuit argues."
"ICEBlock was an iOS app that Aaron developed in the wake of the Trump administration's mass deportation push that allowed communities to crowd-source reports of ICE officials' presence in their areas. Apple published it through the App Store in April, then removed it in early October, reportedly following pressure from unnamed law enforcement agencies over safety concerns. "We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store and Apple did so," Bondi told Fox News in October."
Aaron filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C. federal court accusing Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE director Todd Lyons, and others of violating his First Amendment free speech rights. Aaron developed ICEBlock, an iOS app that crowdsourced reports of ICE presence during a deportation push. Apple published ICEBlock in April and removed it in early October, reportedly after unnamed law enforcement agencies raised safety concerns. Bondi publicly stated she had pressured Apple to remove the app. Aaron's suit contends the government used regulatory power to coerce a private company into suppressing protected speech and seeks redress.
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