SCOTUS To Decide If Public Officials Can Block Critics

Courthouse News reports:

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear two cases arising from public officials blocking critical commenters on their social media accounts, after the Sixth and Ninth Circuits reached different conclusions on whether the constituents’ free speech rights were violated.

The first case involves two elected members of the Poway Unified School District Board of Trustees in San Diego who used personal Facebook and Twitter accounts to communicate with the public about their jobs and the district.

Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff and T.J. Zane argue their accounts were originally created in their private capacities to promote their political campaigns and that they were not acting under governmental authority when they blocked Christopher Garnier and Kimberly Garnier from the accounts.

Read the full article. Trump, you will recall, was twice ordered by lower federal courts to unblock his critics on Twitter. I remain blocked by Trump since 2017.

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear two cases arising from public officials blocking critical commenters on their social media accounts. @Megwiththenews https://t.co/vBx3xHJFp5

— Courthouse News (@CourthouseNews) April 24, 2023