August 13, 2012
Via Sterling C. Beard of The Hill comes an interesting free speech case currently taking place in Virginia:
Facebook and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are arguing in a Virginia court that “liking” something on the ubiquitous social network is constitutionally protected free speech.
The wrongful termination lawsuit involves six employees fired by the Hampton, Va., Sheriff B.J. Roberts. The claimants say they were laid off for supporting Roberts’s opponent in his 2009 reelection campaign. One of them “liked” the Facebook page of Roberts’s opponent, Jim Adams.
The Facebook/ACLU action is in response to a U.S. District Judge’s ruling a few months ago that simply “liking” something is not enough to be counted as free speech. This should be fascinating to watch play out.