IP at the Supreme Court Series will begin with O’Connor-Ratvliff v. Garnier and Lindke v. Freed
The IP at the Supreme Court Series begins on October 31st with O’Connor-Ratvliff v. Garnier and Lindke v. Freed on the afternoon of oral argument before the court. American University Washington College of Law regularly invites counsel of record and counsel for selected amici to offer post-argument reflections in intellectual property (and related) cases heard by the Supreme Court. This event will be moderated by Professor Michael Carroll.
Issue in O’Connor-Ratvliff v. Garnier:
Whether a public official engages in state action subject to the First Amendment by blocking an individual from the official’s personal social-media account when the official uses the account to feature their job and communicate about job-related matters with the public but does not do so pursuant to any governmental authority or duty.
Issue in Lindke v. Freed:
Whether a public official’s social media activity can constitute state action only if the official used the account to perform a governmental duty or under the authority of his or her office.