文档介绍：12-1671 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT _____________ ____________ BOBBY BLAND; DANIEL RAY CARTER, JR.; DAVID W. DIXON; ROBERT W. MCCOY; JOHN C. SANDHOFER; DEBRA H. WOODWARD, Plaintiffs–Appellants , v. . ROBERTS, individually and in his official capacity as Sheriff of the City of Hampton, Virginia, Defendant–Appellee . ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED ST ATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRG INIA, NEWPORT NEWS DIVISION BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION AND ACLU OF VIRGINIA IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS-APPELLANTS’ APPEAL SEEKING REVERSAL Aden J. Fine Kathryn A. Wood American Civil Liberties Union Foundation 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10004 (212) 549-2500 a K. Glenberg American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia Foundation, Inc. 530 E. Main Street, Suite 310 Richmond, VA 23219 (804) 644-8080 Appeal: 12-1671 Doc: 20 Filed: 08/06/2012 Pg: 1 of 38 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF AUT HORITIES ....................................................................................... i INTEREST OF AMICI CURIAE ................................................................................. 1 STATEMENT OF FACTS .......................................................................................... 1 SUMMARY OF AR GUMENT ................................................................................... 3 ARGUMENT ............................................................................................................... 5 I. PLAINTIFFS’ SPEECH IS CONS TITUTIONALLY PROTECTED..... 5 A. “Liking” Something On Facebook Is Pro tected By The First Amendment Both As Pure Speech And As Symbolic Expression. ........................................5 B. First Amendment Protection Does No t Hinge On The Clarity Or Value Of The Speech. ............................................................................................................10 C. Speech Enj