WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Monday that it will consider whether the First Amendment protects social media users from being blocked from commenting on the personal pages that government officials use to communicate actions related to their duties.
The justices said they were taking up two cases concerning the question: one lawsuit brought against local school district officials in California and another lawsuit against a city manager in Michigan.
Appeals courts have set forth different tests for determining whether blocking a social media user from commenting on a government official's personal social media page amounts to an unconstitutional state action restricting speech in a public forum.
The court will be weighing in on the question after previously dismissing as moot a case concerning former President Donald Trump's move to block Twitter users who were criticizing him and his policies.
The case will be heard next term.
