Today, I formally requested that the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors cease their practice of selectively disabling public comments on the official county Facebook page. Open dialogue and transparent governance are essential to a healthy democracy, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has clearly affirmed that public comment sections on government-run social media constitute protected forums for free speech (see Davison v. Randall, 2019).

By selectively restricting comments, our County openly engages in viewpoint-based censorship, which undermines our fundamental constitutional freedoms. It is vital that citizens have the opportunity to openly discuss, question, and provide feedback on the actions of their government.

I have respectfully urged the Board to promptly re-enable comments on all past and future posts and adopt clear, fair, and constitutionally compliant guidelines for managing public interaction on their official platforms.

Let’s keep Appomattox County a place where voices can be heard and rights remain protected.