Showing posts with label Virginia deputy sheriff fired for "liking" boss's rival in campaign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virginia deputy sheriff fired for "liking" boss's rival in campaign. Show all posts

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Facebook “Like” button just as protected as written speech, court rules; ArsTechnica.com, 9/18/13

Cyrus Farivar, Arstechnica.com; Facebook “Like” button just as protected as written speech, court rules: "In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s decision, declaring that a Facebook “Like” is protected under the First Amendment, like other forms of speech. The Virginia case involves a former deputy sheriff in Hampton, Virginia, who claimed that he had been fired for “liking” his boss’ rival in a political campaign for county sheriff. In the original lawsuit, a federal district judge tossed the case, saying that a Facebook “Like” was “insufficient speech to merit constitutional protection.”"