Constituent files lawsuit against Denver School Board member Auon'tai Anderson

Auon'tai Anderson is named in a lawsuit where a constituent is claiming he violated her First Amendment rights by blocking her on Facebook. The lawsuit stems from an incident earlier this year where Anderson posted about the termination of the McAuliffe International School principal.

The constituent claims she posted a comment on July 31 asking for a document pertaining to the termination of Principal Kurt Dennis and then was blocked from Anderson's Facebook account. 

"When our public officials abuse their power to silence critics, everyone loses. The First Amendment calls for robust debate on public issues. Tay Anderson's actions are no better than authoritarian leaders in China who restrict the public's access to the internet. If Anderson cannot handle gentle criticism, he isn't cut out to serve the public," said Andy McNulty, the plaintiff's attorney. 

Anderson responded to the lawsuit with this statement in part, "My actions are in strict compliance with the recently enacted state law, HB23-1306, which empowers elected officials to regulate their social media interactions. Since my election to the Denver School Board, which marked me as the youngest African American to assume public office, my family and I have been subjected to harassment and death threats via social media platforms. This is why I closely monitor my social media presence."

Anderson will finish his term with the Denver School Board in less than two months.