“Like”, Free Speech?

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund website has an article by Becca Hoekstra about Facebook “Like”s.  In Hampton, Virginia six employees of the sheriff’s department were fired for supporting an opposing candidate in an upcoming sheriff election.  Three employee’s were dismissed because of “Liking” the opposing sheriff candidate.  The employee’s took the issue to the courts and a U.S. District  judge determined that “‘liking’ a Facebook page was insufficient speech to merit constitutional protection”.  Facebook and the ACLU are challenging this decision that “Liking” on Facebook should be consider free speech, under the U.S. Constitution.  Read the full article at the link below:

http://cbldf.org/homepage/facebook-and-aclu-challenge-the-ruling-that-likes-are-not-free-speech/

Library Blocking Websites

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) has posted a report that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed suit against the Salem Public Library in eastern Missouri for unconstitutionally blocking religious websites.  This particular library has deemed it necessary to block Native American and Wicca websites, that give information about both religions, based on being “occult” or  “criminal”.  Read the article at CBLDF’s website linked below or the full notice at ACLU’s website linked below:

http://cbldf.org/homepage/aclu-asks-missouri-library-to-stop-censoring-websites/

http://www.aclu-em.org/pressroom/2012pressreleases/010312aclufilessuitstopmol.htm