Topic: Ep. 206 – Can Elected Officials Block Your Comments On Social Media?
When: Tuesday 4/2/2024 at 2:00 pm ET
Do elected officials violate the First Amendment when they block comments on their public social media accounts?
In the Supreme Court’s 2024 term, the Justices heard two cases – Lindke v. Freed and O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier – dealing with the intersection of social media and the First Amendment.
Join us as we discuss these cases and their effects on free speech on social media.
Constitutional Chats are hosted by Janine Turner, Cathy Gillespie, student ambassadors, and experts who join us weekly to discuss hot-topic issues! The audience is not on camera, but you may ask questions!
Meet the Guest
Michael R. Dimino
Michael Dimino is an expert on election law. He is the author of a casebook on the subject, and has written widely on the election of judges. He also teaches and writes about constitutional law, legislation, constitutional criminal procedure, administrative law, federal courts, and U.S. Supreme Court politics.
After graduating cum laude in 2001 from Harvard Law School, where he was Articles Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Professor Dimino served as Chief Clerk to Associate Judge Albert M. Rosenblatt of the New York State Court of Appeals, and then clerked for Senior Judge Laurence H. Silberman of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Judge Paul L. Friedman of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Professor Dimino was appointed to serve on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee, effective July 1, 2022. This committee is responsible for making formal recommendations to the court for refining and updating the rules of appellate procedure.
In his free time, Professor Dimino officiates hockey and baseball.
Professor Dimino is the 2011 recipient of the Douglas E. Ray Award for Excellence in Faculty Scholarship and received the 2022 Faculty Excellence Award.
Meet the Hosts
Janine Turner
Actress Janine Turner is famous for her role as Maggie O’Connell in television’s Northern Exposure. She is the Founder of Constituting America which launched in 2010. She is still acting but is also actively teaching kids about the U.S. Constitution and has given over 540 speeches to classrooms across the country.
Cathy Gillespie
Cathy Gillespie is the Chair of Constituting America, a former Congressional Chief of Staff and former Commissioner of the White House Fellows Commission. She is currently serving as one of 16 private citizens serving on the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, helping organize the celebration of our country’s 250th birthday in 2026!
Tova Love Kaplan
Tova Love Kaplan is a student at Harvard University. She currently serves as the National Youth Director for Constituting America and runs the National Youth Advisory Council. She is a three-time winner of the “We The Future” Contest and is passionate about educating and empowering young people to use their constitutional rights!
Jorne Gilbert
Jorne Gilbert is a recent graduate of Moravian University where he designed a major entitled Dramatic Production and Musical Performance. He used what he learned to further develop the charitable organization Sing For America which he co-founded to produce musicals portraying the art of Truth and Light.
Jewel Gilbert
Jewel Gilbert is Executive Producer of Sing for America, a charity founded by him and his family. Sing for America reveals the Art of Truth and Light through live performance. He is the Operations Director for a new business venture, J. Barker Paving. Jewel holds a BA in Musical Performance/Dramatic