first amendment Archives - Siana Law

No First Amendment Protection for Off Duty Police Officers’ Facebook Posts by Sheryl L. Brown and Connie E. Henderson

UncategorizedBy Siana Law February 7, 2022

In determining that the public’s trust outweighed an officers’ right to free speech, the Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania dismissed police officers’ claims that their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights against the City of Philadelphia were violated. The free speech at issue included posted content on Facebook ranging from racial slurs, anti-Muslim rhetoric, homophobic comments,…

Article on Social Media by Michael G. Crotty, Esquire featured in PSAB’s Borough News Magazine.

UncategorizedBy Siana Law August 29, 2019

Siana Law attorney, Michael G. Crotty’s, article, Legal Developments in Social Media, Municipalities, #feelincute, and the First Amendment, is featured in the September issue of Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs’, Borough News Magazine. Read the full article here: Don’t miss PSAB’s upcoming Fall Leadership Conference!

Legal Developments in Social Media, Municipalities, #feelincute and the First Amendment

UncategorizedBy Siana Law June 6, 2019

While Facebook and other forms of social media can be great vehicles for municipalities to communicate with residents (read: free), they also create a legal minefield ripe with First Amendment traps. Depending on how they are structured, social media can either be the one-way vehicle that munis expect or, with open public commenting/postings, can be…

Siana Law Attorneys Attend 2019 PSATS Conference

UncategorizedBy Siana Law May 1, 2019

Siana Law attorneys, Michael G. Crotty, Eric M. Brown and Sheryl L. Brown attended the April 2019 Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) Annual Educational Conference in Hershey, PA. They presented a variety of seminars that covered topics pertinent to municipal officials and employees, such as social media and the First Amendment. Read the…

Siana Law Partners Attend 2018 PSATS Conference

UncategorizedBy Siana Law April 15, 2018

Beginning on Monday April 23, 2018, Siana Law Partners, Michael G. Crotty, Eric M. Brown, Christopher P. Gerber and Sheryl L. Brown will attend the 2018 PSATS Annual Educational Conference in Hershey, PA. Our partners look forward leading the following seminars on five different topics at this year’s conference. Read on to learn more about…

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media Policy for Employers – Part 2 by Eric M. Brown, Esquire

UncategorizedBy Siana Law December 4, 2017

The First Amendment and Governmental Entities The First Amendment poses a special concern to governmental entities seeking to regulate comments and messages made by both the general public as well as public employees on social media platforms. These entities should identify the governmental interest(s) in support of any limitations the policy imposes on the…

The Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media Policies for Employers – Part 1 by Eric M. Brown, Esquire

UncategorizedBy Siana Law November 21, 2017

Every employer should adopt a social media policy to govern employee use of both business and personal social media platforms. The importance of such policies has been highlighted by recent stories in news concerning the conduct of employees on social media, which show that even good employees sometimes post unprofessional or offensive comments. Prompt action…

Tag Archives: first amendment