We have previously discussed the increasing trend toward monitoring and disciplining private and public employees for comments on social media. These cases raise difficult questions of free speech in our society. The most recent such case involves Leslie Anderson, a law clerk for a New Jersey judge who resigned after being suspended after she made comments on Facebook criticizing a state trooper who was killed in a crash with a deer. While some praised 24-year-old Anthony Raspa (left) as a hero, Anderson also expressed sympathy for the dead animal, saying “I agree that it is sad and heart-wrenching for the family members left to suffer the consequences of the trooper’s recklessness—especially for the deer family who lost a mommy or daddy or baby deer.”
It is not clear how Anderson viewed the trooper as reckless in the accident since such accidents can occur without any fault of the driver on many roads. Raspa and partner Gene Hong were patrolling on I-195 when their Ford Crown Victoria struck the deer early Saturday. The car careened off the road and hit a tree.
Anderson, a law clerk for Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Travis L. Francis was without question over-the-top in her Facebook posting: “Not that sad, and certainly not ‘tragic,’ Troopers were probably traveling at a dangerously high speed as per usual. Totally preventable. At least they didn’t take any of the citizens they were sworn to serve and protect with them.” She later added that the praise Raspa was receiving by other commenters for his service as “absurd” and “nonsensical” :
“The ‘victim’s’ employment as a state trooper is irrelevant to the circumstances, other than the fact that he injured a fellow trooper and destroyed state property as a result of his recklessness. He wasn’t running into a burning building or otherwise acting within the course of his employment at the time of the accident. The outcry and ‘thank yous’ are absurd, nonsensical, and completely unwarranted. There are people in this country and around the world dying for much less. There is nothing ‘tragic’ about this. Get over yourselves and your sense of entitlement, people . . .
Nonetheless, I agree that it is sad and heart wrenching for the family members left to suffer the consequences of the Trooper’s recklessness — especially for the deer family who lost a mommy or daddy or baby deer.”
The question is not whether these comments are wrong or offensive but the right of someone to engage in such a public debate without fear of retaliation.
I have previously written about concerns that public employees are increasingly being disciplined for actions in their private lives or views or associations outside of work. We have previously seen teachers (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here) students (here, here and here) and other public employees (here and here and here) fired for their private speech or conduct, including school employees fired for posing in magazines (here), appearing on television shows in bikinis (here), or having a prior career in the adult entertainment industry (here).
The question for me is whether she used her court association, which does not appear to be the case. If Anderson was simply engaging in a public discourse, I am concerned that she would be punished for it. She was initially put on a paid suspension before she ultimately resigned under fire from the police association and others. President Chris Burgos insisted that the comments showed that Anderson couldn’t be impartial, but she was merely a law clerk, not the judge.
What do you think?
DBQ may also want to reconsider whether anyone would care if a waitress posted the comment instead of a law clerk.
I bet there are no end of owners of popular gathering breakfast spots or taverns in small towns across America that would fire any waitress that posted such a message.
Just for fun, we could start counting in Wisconsin. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that there aren’t too many lovers of Bambi in that state.
In WI they would have been upset that someone had not picked up the deer for ‘road kill.’
trooper
I missed the cop-thief post.
Just curious – does your support of cops include those who steal from the dead?
All such patients as listed above will also be very concerned about who runs their hospital.
DBQ
A young woman of child-bearing age who believes in choice will be very concerned about her physician’s religion.
A young woman who is considering an IUD will be very concerned about her physician’s religion.
A young woman who wants to consider a full range of contraception will be very concerned about her physician’s religion.
An elderly person who believes in no extraordinary measures will be very concerned about her physician’s religion.
A man who is considering a vasectomy will be very concerned about his physician’s religion.
Wade,
Maybe you missed his “cultist” period. That was an everyday thing for quite sometime. Now we hear “SJW” daily, lol.
Well the recent cop bashing post about the use of dead guy’s credit card to buy jewelry is chock full of hate.
That cop was Haitian.
That’s a triple Hate word score.
How about counting “haters gotta hate”?
Does that count as one ‘hate’ or two ‘hates’?
Anybody volunteer to count the number of times Nick has referred to ‘cop-hater’ since 2013?
Should have added…
Her remarks were pretty stupid. Lord knows there is no shortage of that – even in a Judge’s chambers.
@aridog
Worse than the loons are the pot stirrers and the people who “name call” and and act “outraged” and nothing else. Then, when you ask them direct questions, they either avoid answers, or act like they are busy with other stuff.
Disagreements are better resolved with a good fuss and a tussle in the verbal mud, but those kind never get their figurative hands dirty with the detritus of a good fight. Oh no, they are too good for that. With NickS help, I am learning to ignore such time-wasters.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Darren says she got what she deserved.
No, she got what was politically correct. I believe that topic is occasionally mentioned here.
As for a blog and no enemies…I must make an exception for LGF long ago…one loon there made everything threatening. Yep, in his mind we were all “enemies.” Knives, guns, poorly learned karate, etc…on every single thread. Good ole Charles did diddly squat. Now look at him.
tensions would be eased by acknowledging the difference between the religions of MD versus patient
Why would this [religion of the doctor and patient] even be an issue of discussion anyway? Seriously.
You are there to see the doctor about a problem that may be in his/her field of expertise, not to go to confession or be religiously instructed. I can’t even imagine under what circumstances the differences in religious beliefs would come up. Unless you are being counseled for a terminal illness and you are being referred to your religious person of authority priest/pastor/rabbi/whatever. The religion of my Doctor is one of the last things that I would think about.
I just finished up with a round of diagnostic procedures for my heart to clear me for some minor surgery. The cardiologist that I was referred to by my surgeon has the first name Muhammed. Do I care what religion he is? NO. I care that he is a top cardiologist and thought well enough of by me surgeon to refer me to him.
Did I inquire while in consultation with Dr. Mhuammed about his religion or where he is from or anything else? No. The only thing I might inquire about is where he obtained his degree…but since he is a well known and well respected doctor in the community, that isn’t an issue either.
Keep politics and religion OUT of the workplace.
…cute enough to make us forget we are enemies
What enemies? We disagree now and then, sometimes vociferously, but its a blog…and there are no “enemies.” [Really.]
BTW: yep, the video was cute. A very close friend lived on the big island for a decade…hated the place, with the sole exception of the native celebrations.
Now, you’ll pardon me whilst I concentrate on goring “Issac”… 😀
Surprising in that females lean DEM, lawyers lean DEM, and government workers lean DEM.
Cop-criticizers lean DEM and libertarian.
People who anthropomorphize animals (“mommy or daddy or baby deer”) lean DEM.
She had perhaps a 97-98% chance of being a lefty.
@Rick
Touche’ on your definition!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Not surprising at all.
” It does NO good to discuss politics or religion in the workplace.”
I had to have that discussion recently with a coworker who seemed to think that tensions would be eased by acknowledging the difference between the religions of MD versus patient, in order, it was hoped, to reject its impact.
Instead it angered the person, as one might guess.
What is interesting to me about the young woman here in this case is that she identifies herself as a conservative on her own FB page.
Not something I expected, if indeed it is true.
Thank you Mike.
In the Banking industry, we were advised that while we were perfectly free to campaign for any candidate we like, participate in political processes……we were forbidden to wear campaign buttons, discuss political campaigns or in anyway be perceived as supporting or denigrating candidates or issues WHILE at work.
Of work, that was our own business, but the Bank did not want to be perceived as being involved in any way in political processes.
I held that same standard in my personal financial advisory practice for both myself and my employees. No politics or religion AT work.
Often clients would discuss or want to discuss political issues and unless I knew them on a more personal level, I would steer the discussion to how the political issue might affect their investments or financial planning strategies and keep the emotional opinions out of the mix. It does NO good to discuss politics or religion in the workplace.
“SJW! Leftist! Cultist!”
Now, time for another off topic break, cute enough to make us forget we are enemies.
http://youtu.be/1ON0S4AWt2k