Court Weighs Speech Limits for Cop Disciplined Over Floyd Post

The full First Circuit grasped Wednesday for how to weigh the speech rights of an officer suspended for calling George Floyd a “druggie” online against a Massachusetts police commissioner’s prediction that the Facebook post would disrupt its mission.

In a hearing before the full appeals court, an attorney for Cambridge officer Brian Hussey argued the First Amendment protections of the cop’s 2021 private social media post can’t be easily overcome by the commissioner’s claim that his choice language could erode the public’s trust and hinder its ability to serve addicts.

The outcome of the appeal could affect how courts parse ...