Public Officials and Social Media
Melinda Beck

Blog

Public Officials and Social Media

Through groundbreaking litigation such as Knight Institute v. Trump—a lawsuit challenging former President Trump's practice of blocking critics from his Twitter account—the Institute has been instrumental in establishing a basic principle: once public officials open up an online space for expressive activity to the public at large, the First Amendment prohibits them from excluding speakers on the basis of viewpoint. Courts throughout the country have invoked this case to preclude other public officials from silencing their social media critics. 

This blog channel highlights the Institute’s ongoing work in this area and explores the many challenging First Amendment questions that continue to emerge. 

Research

Essay Series

Permission to Speak Freely? Managing Government Employee Speech in a Democracy

A project exploring the law and politics of public employee speech

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Video

Documentary

Flashpoint: Protests, Policing, and the Press

A Knight Institute production

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Litigation

Lawsuit

The Foundation for Global Political Exchange v. Department of the Treasury

A case challenging OFAC’s suppression of the exchange of political ideas

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Event

Event

Regardless of Frontiers: The First Amendment and the Exchange of Ideas Across Borders

A symposium and exhibition exploring the international border as a venue, justification, or pretext for censorship or surveillance

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