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?
Nobody here knows any African Americans
Paul, It’s always slow..or slower.
Nick – have you noticed that it seems that some people seem to keep a file on other people on here. I find some things being parroted back that were said a long time back. Strange.
Atheists!
Evil anti-religious leftists have killed millions
PC is the most evil agenda ever devised by leftists
“Real women”
“Real feminists”
Union Thugs
Evil Teachers
Wade,
“Lily white, don’t know any black people”.
“Unhappy, lonely, needy trolls”- this one is clearly projection.
“Borderline personality.”- again, projection.
Is it Throwback Friday? I’ll dig out some bell bottoms and fire up the lava lamp.
Must be a dull night at Flowers for Algernon.
“Afro-American” is so 1977.
@Wadewilliams
“trooper
“I missed the cop-thief post.
“Just curious – does your support of cops include those who steal from the dead?”
@ trooperyork
“Of course not No Neck. I want her prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and incarcerated as any criminal should.
“Any cop who commits a crime should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law after facing a jury of their peers. Especially [emphasis added] those who became cops because of the lowering of standards and requirements to get on the force in the interests of ‘diversity.’ Moral and physical standards should not be lowered to cater to political correctness.
“I wish that the criminal lobby and the cop haters felt the same way since their goal is to stop the incarceration of criminals and to legalize criminal behavior.”
You see, Wade, the NYPD cop who’s accused of using the dead man’s credit card is Afro-American, which I know because trooperyork helpfully posted a picture of her in the thread about the theft, so we’d all be clear on that.
In this one unfortunate case of apparent police misconduct over the years, the perpetrator was obviously (had to be) the beneficiary of “politically correct lowered moral and physical standards,” i.e., is an Afro-American, which justifies his posting the picture of her.
Does that help, No Neck? 🙂
LOL, is someone angry that they aren’t allowed to comment on FFS? Too funny.
Squeek, Just saw the Jenner comment. LOL! And, you have been doing superbly ignoring the unhappy, lonely, needy, trolls.
Edward, The only time they get any comments over there is when they discuss people over here. I’m the topic quite often. It’s like that echo chamber blog is an Onion parody. They are SO stereotypical it’s hilarious.
If you don’t thin the herd by hunting deer, they end up starving to death in the winter.
@ trooperyork
“I do think that Professor Turley’s choice of posts certainly would lead one to believe he is a cop hater.”
Yes, calling attention to police misconduct is outrageously non-authoritarian.
You’ve expressed some amazingly ignorant and obtuse opinions here, ty, but you’ve outdone yourself with this one. 🙂
PaulS, Some hunters donate their killed deer to food kitchens. The PC[and racist] City of Madison used to have idiot protesters the opening of deer season. I haven’t seen that in recent years. I think they’re all depressed that their cult leader is a failed president.
Ugh. Anyone ever notice that the comment section becomes unreadable when the Panties for Plato crowd comes to play?
DBQ says:
‘Keep politics and religion OUT of the workplace.”
I’m in full agreement.
Unfortunately, every red state, the Roman Catholic Church, Hobby Lobby and a majority of the Supreme Court vigorously opposes your view.
When the government keeps poking its nose in the workplace it can expect religion to pop up every so often.
Of course not No Neck. I want her prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and incarcerated as any criminal should.
Any cop who commits a crime should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law after facing a jury of their peers. Especially those who became cops because of the lowering of standards and requirements to get on the force in the interests of “diversity.” Moral and physical standards should not be lowered to cater to political correctness.
I wish that the criminal lobby and the cop haters felt the same way since their goal is to stop the incarceration of criminals and to legalize criminal behavior.