Here's a situation our forefathers never could have imagined: Should clicking the "like" button on Facebook constitutionally protected free speech?
Apparently, it depends on who you ask. Attorneys for Facebook and the American Civil Liberties Union argue that clicking "like" is protected, and have asked a federal appeals court to overturn a lower court's decision that said "liking" a Facebook page was insufficient speech to be protected.
The case in question involves six employees who were fired by a sheriff in Virginia who supported his opponent in an election. At least one of the workers admitted he "liked" the Facebook page of the sheriff's opponent. The sheriff says the employees were fired for not doing their job, while others needed to be replaced by sworn deputies, and the dismissals had nothing to do with Facebook or their support of his opponent. The employees say they were terminated solely for their support of the sheriff's opponent, and that infringes upon their right to free speech, including the right to click the "like" button on Facebook.
Granted, "liking" your bosses' political opponent probably isn't the smartest thing to do with the widespread amount of information available online these days, but the fired employees certainly have the right to do so on their own time. It's simply the digital equivalent of putting a campaign sign in their yard, and it should not be a valid reason to be fired.