5th Circuit: School Officials Are Due Qualified Immunity In Facebook Access Suit

Mealey's (September 18, 2015, 12:19 PM EDT) -- NEW ORLEANS — School officials who disciplined a high school student for threatening private social network messages she sent to another student in 2007 are entitled to qualified immunity on claims brought against them, a Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel ruled Sept. 15, finding that it was not clearly established at the time that the officials were potentially violating the student’s rights under the First or Fourth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution by accessing her Facebook account and subsequently disciplining her for the comments (Donald Jackson, et al. v. John Ladner, et al., No. 13-60631, 5th Cir.)....