The US Supreme Court on Friday released its first set of precedents as to when a Federal official can be sued for blocking critics on social media.
Under the new guidelines, officials are considered to engage in governmental action if they have "actual authority to speak on behalf of the state on a particular matter" and "purported to exercise that authority in the relevant posts."
Officials will only be able to block critical or unwelcome comments in the case that a "post that merely repeats or shares otherwise available information is more likely personal," according to Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Lower courts were advised to revisit previous social media rulings in accordance with the new standards.
Reuters first reported the Court ruling.
US SC: Officials are Accountable on Stifling Critcs
The unanimous ruling is in regard to the two cases from California and Michigan accusing elected officials of violating the First Amendment by blocking critics from their personal social media pages.
The court upheld the citizens' rights to sue officials after two elected local school board members in Poway, California, blocked parents of three students after they "spammed" repetitive comments on the officials' postings.
The spamming was in relation to the board's response to issues of racism and finances within the school.
The other case, Lindke v. Freed, involved a city manager in Port Huron, Michigan, who blocked a local resident from scrutinizing the local government's pandemic policies.
The Supreme Court first heard arguments on both cases last October.
US Supreme Court Deliberates on Social Media Guidelines
The ruling on the cases from California and Michigan is only the latest in the growing number of precedents the court is set to decide in regulating free speech on social media.
Just last month, the court also heard the cases from Texas and Florida requesting to have the power to self-regulate posts on social media.
The lawsuits were in relation to social media platforms banning posts supporting the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot, many of which involved Republican officials.
Both Texas and Florida are demanding to overturn previous court rulings preventing the state from having the power to bar social media companies from removing certain posts and accounts.
The Court is also set to face another case this Monday as to whether US President Joe Biden and his Cabinet can be banned from contacting social media companies.
