NEW YORK - Lawyers for President Donald Trump say a judge should reject a lawsuit challenging Trump's ability to block his critics from following him on Twitter.

  

The lawyers filed papers late Friday to try to put an end to a Manhattan federal court lawsuit that makes First Amendment claims. They say Trump's Twitter feed, which has more than 40 million followers, is not state action.

  

The lawsuit was filed in July by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and seven people rejected by Trump after criticizing the president.

  

Jameel Jaffer, the institute's director, said Trump's lawyers were wrong in their legal analysis. He said in a statement Saturday that the president is not above the law.

  

The lawsuit claims Trump's decision to block some individuals was a viewpoint-based restriction.