03/15/2024

SCOTUS Says When Officials May Block Critics on Social Media

They may block them from their personal social media accounts

A unanimous Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on Friday defined when the personal social media account of a public official is a government action, trying to settle an issue that first arose during the Trump administration about whether constituents can be blocked from commenting or from following accounts.

A public official may block constituents, the court said, unless the official had the power to speak on the government’s behalf and intended to do so through their personal social media account.

"State officials have a choice about the capacity in which they choose to speak," wrote junior Justice Amy Coney Barrett in her opinion for the court. "If the public employee does not use his speech in furtherance of his official responsibilities, he is speaking in his own voice."

Please select this link to read the complete article from USA TODAY.