Government officials who block social media followers could be violating First Amendment, Prof. Sweeny says

In a column published in The Courier-Journal June 21, 2017, Professor JoAnne Sweeny argues that government officials who block social media followers could be violating their followers' First Amendment right to petition.

The column was in response to a report that Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has blocked more than 600 people from his Twitter and Facebook accounts for posting “obscene material or repeated off-topic comments.”

"By blocking people from Twitter and Facebook, Bevin not only prevents them from commenting but makes it harder, if not impossible, for them to see his posts. For an official who has stated that he uses Twitter and Facebook to inform his constituents, his actions are extremely problematic," writes Sweeny. "In particular, Bevin is closing a channel of communication where his constituents can communicate their opinions and grievances directly to him.  As a result, Bevin may be violating his constituents’ First Amendment right to petition the government."

Sweeny's scholarly interests include comparative constitutional law, freedom of expression, law and gender and legal history.