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Supreme Court’s social‑media test reshapes board guidance for trustees' personal pages
Summary
After the Supreme Court’s recent decision in a case about a public official’s social media page, the district’s legal advisor told board members to separate personal and official accounts, add disclaimers and avoid acting as the board’s spokesperson on individual social posts.
The board’s attorney reviewed recent First Amendment case law on public officials’ social media accounts and recommended trustees adopt clear practices for their pages. Schwartz summarized the new two‑part test from the U.S. Supreme Court: to trigger liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for actions taken on social media, a public official must (1) have actual authority to speak for the government on the matter and (2) be exercising that authority when posting.
Nut graf: The decision raises a narrower path for…
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