Roseanne, Twitter, And Free Speech For Employees
Summer associate Alex Lilly and associate Evan Gibbs are published in Above the Law for their article titled, “Roseanne, Twitter, And Free Speech For Employees.” The article addresses the question: What free speech rights exist in the workplace? Lilly and Gibbs write, “There’s rarely a right to job-protected free speech in the workplace. Typically, employment is at-will, and most employers can terminate an employee for any reason, including for things an employee said online or otherwise. But there are of course a few limited exceptions.” The pair go on to cite a handful of exceptions, also noting developments in employment law aimed at protecting employees’ political speech and activity. They conclude, writing, “Going forward, if more jurisdictions enact more speech-protecting legislation, employees’ right to free speech on charged political issues will be interpreted by courts in their respective jurisdictions. Employers will have to tread much more carefully if this trend continues.”