The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has affirmed the district court’s ruling that the City of St. Louis is liable for a former President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen’s unconstitutional viewpoint-based blocking of constituent Sarah Felts from his Twitter account. On appeal, the Eighth Circuit confirmed that the City is liable for the First Amendment violation because the Board President has final policymaking authority for the City. The ruling preserves an important First Amendment win for Ms. Felts, the First Amendment Clinic at WashU, and the ACLU of Missouri.
“I am glad the Court spoke clearly: Our elected leaders may not abuse their authority to silence the people they represent just because they disagree,” said Sarah Felts. “Twitter has empowered everyday citizens to engage with our elected officials more than ever before. I am grateful to the lawyers and law students at WashU’s First Amendment Clinic and the lawyers at the ACLU of Missouri for working diligently to protect my First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.”