Muskegon officials review new social media use policy after U.S. Supreme Court guidance

City of Muskegon Community Engagement Manager Deborah Sweet on Monday presented a draft social media use policy intended to separate personal and official accounts and reduce legal exposure for staff and elected officials.

The policy comes after what Sweet described as a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision involving a dispute over a public official’s Facebook page; the presentation summarized a two‑part test the court uses to determine whether a social account qualifies as a government forum for First Amendment purposes. Sweet said the draft was written with legal counsel and aims to protect “our staff, public officials, our committees, our departments.”

The draft distinguishes personal pages from official city accounts, defines “official social media account” as those created or maintained by the city manager or designee, and requires city approval…