Municipal Social Media Policies and the 1st Amendment

Social media continues to be a challenge for municipalities as more employees express their views and air their grievances (often times aimed at their employer) through social media.  Most people think this right to free speech is covered by the First Amendment, but in reality, it’s not.  If exercising your free speech rights negatively impacts your job, your employer has every right to remove you from your job.  In other words: to keep your job, you often can’t say what you like.

Join Attorney Thomas Closson of Jackson Lewis P.C. and Stephen C. Buckley, NHMA’s Legal Services Counsel who will discuss what public employers must consider before taking adverse action against an employee based on their social media policy.  Attorney Buckley will address First Amendment protections afforded to public sector employee’s speech and Attorney Closson will review “lessons learned” from a recently settled case involving social media policies and a small town in New Hampshire.  In short, we hope members will learn how to better develop and manage social media polices for your city or town government.