From Employee Speech to Public Comment and Protests: The First Amendment’s Impact on Cities

This session will cover how city governments and employees can and cannot regulate speech under the First Amendment. It will cover timely issues, such as how cities can regulate employees’ speech on and off the clock, how city councils can regulate public comment sessions at city council meetings, and how to manage free speech issues when interacting with constituents on social media. It is also designed to help city officials make decisions about free speech issues as they arise, providing principles that can be applied in new and novel contexts and situations.