Is it legal for the Redmond Mayor to make her social media pages private?
Nov 14, 2023, 2:27 PM | Updated: 6:20 pm
Redmond Mayor Angela Birney’s adult daughter was reportedly recorded giggling while tearing down flyers showing Israelis taken hostage by Hamas terrorists. The video went viral, with commenters demanding she be removed from college. The mayor isn’t responding to the incident, instead, turning her X account to private to avoid criticism.
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Former Pierce County prosecutor and attorney Mark Lindquist joined The Jason Rantz Show on AM 770 KTTH in Seattle to discuss if it is legal for a public official to do so.
Lindquist said the Supreme Court has yet to rule on the matter. However, local courts have issued rulings in related cases.
“The way the Ninth Circuit analyzes it is what I would call an appearance and conduct test,” Lindquist said. “The Ninth Circuit is focused on, how does the page appear? You know, is it about your cats and your children? Or is it about your job and government announcements? Does the page invoke the authority of the office? It’s a somewhat fuzzy test.”
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