Priya Dames

Student NamePriya Dames
Faculty Mentor NameJasmine McNealy, PhD
CollegeCollege of Journalism and Communications
MajorPolitical Science
MinorComputer and Information Science
Research InterestsCensorship, disinformation, cyberlaw
Academic AwardsN/A
OrganizationsUF Minority Pre-Legal Society, The Independent Florida Alligator, National Society of Black Engineers
Hobbies and InterestsReading, painting, yoga

Research Project

The Socio-Legal Implications of Classifying Public Officials’ Twitter Accounts as Designated Public Forums: An Analysis of Knight Inst. v. Trump?

The objective of this study is to anticipate the social and legal implications of the Knight v. Trump court decision. This will be done through a content analysis of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Twitter accounts compared with President Trump’s Twitter account. The goal of the analysis is to determine what activity constitutes “governmental functions” as defined by Judge Buchwald in the Knight v. Trump court opinion. Through content analysis, this study will clarify what actions warrant the classification of a Twitter account as a designated public forum and to predict how Knight v. Trump may change the ways public officials utilize their online platforms.