WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled Friday that public officials may block people on social media in certain circumstances, after hearing a case from California and another from Michigan. The ruling tossed aside challenges against local government officials in those states who blocked followers who were critical of them on Facebook.
“When a government official posts about job-related topics on social media, it can be difficult to tell whether the speech is official or private. We hold that such speech is attributable to the State only if the official (1) possessed actual authority to speak on the State’s behalf, and (2) purported to exercise that authority when he spoke on social media,” Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote in the 18-page unanimous decision.
The Supreme Court ruling that all government officials will be held to can be found here.
