Section 1502 of Title 5 of the United States Code, as part of the Hatch Act, prohibits local officers or employees from using their official authority—leveraging their government position, title, or workplace influence—to influence elections, coerce political contributions, run in partisan elections, or participate in political management or campaigns. If found in violation of this code, they can be removed from office.
Elected officials, however, hold the right “to express his opinions on political subjects and candidates,” according to Section 1502 (b).
In the case of 22-611 Lindke v. Freed (03/15/2024) – the U.S. Supreme Court, which focused on when elected officials are to be treated as a government authority as opposed to a private citizen, ruled that state or local official employees may express personal views on political issues in private conversation or on personal social media, as long as it is done off-duty and without using their official position.
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network.
