Supreme Court will decide if officials can be sued for blocking social media critics

The Supreme Court is taking on a hotly debated issue: can public officials block users on their personal social media accounts when used in a professional context? Two new cases will be heard in the fall 2023 term, two years after the dismissal of a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump for blocking users on his Twitter account. The cases will explore whether the First Amendment prevents government officials from blocking critics on mainstream social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

One of the cases involves school board members in Southern California who blocked parents from their public Facebook pages after the couple made hundreds of critical posts on matters such as race and school finances. The other case involves the city manager of Port Huron, Michigan, who blocked a user for posting COVID-19 criticism.

Both cases present a split distinct enough to warrant review from the high court, according to petitioners. The Supreme Court previously found the Trump case moot due to his leaving office, but these new cases could set a precedent for how public officials can interact with their constituents on social media. Stay tuned for updates on this important issue.