Willmeng v. City of Thornton

Two Colorado residents filed a lawsuit alleging that the City of Thornton, Colorado, and its mayor pro tem violated their First Amendment rights by barring them from posting about the dangers of hydraulic fracturing on the mayor’s official Facebook page. The plaintiffs had posted comments on the Facebook page that included assertions about carbon emissions and public health effects associated with oil combustion; the comments were allegedly deleted and the plaintiffs banned from future commenting. The plaintiffs asserted First Amendment claims for violations of free speech rights and the right to petition the government and for retaliation.