Virginia

Facebook is appealing a ruling made last year over a dispute regarding a Facebook like as free and protected speech. After a Virginia sheriff’s office employee liked the Facebook page of his boss’ political opponent, resulting in a post on the News Feed, the man lost his job. Daniel Ray Carter, along with five other people fired from the Hampton, Va., sheriff’s department, then filed a lawsuit claiming that likes on Facebook are free speech. A judge dismissed Carter’s claims in April 2012, but Facebook is keeping the fight alive.

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Facebook offered more details on how its users interacted with Monday’s inauguration of President Barack Obama, revealing that the event scored a 7.1 out of 10 on its Talk Meter scale.

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People all over the U.S. were posting about either President Barack Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney on Facebook during Election Day. But buzz about ballots wasn’t limited to the 50 states. Facebook released statistics Wednesday showing that the U.S. presidential election was popular in Canada, the U.K., and Australia.

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Now that the 2012 presidential election is in the record books, we can start to examine more closely the role that Facebook played in the first “social election” and how the winners and losers used the platform in the waning hours of the race.

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Wondering how you can help those affected by Hurricane Sandy? Facebook can help. The American Red Cross has been using its Facebook page to post information about shelters, as well as to accept donations for the cause. The social network also reminded its users on the East Coast that posting status updates on Facebook from mobile devices is a quick and easy way to let loved ones know they are safe.

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The dust has settled after the first presidential debate in Denver Wednesday night, and the Facebook-CNN Election Talk Meter has fresh insights on the melee in the Mile High City that are posted on the U.S. Politics on Facebook page.

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Daniel Ray Carter, a sheriff’s office employee in Virginia, filed a lawsuit after he was fired for liking the Facebook page of his employer’s competitor, and he gained some key support in court. Facebook filed a motion in the United States Court of Appeals, saying that likes should be protected by the First Amendment.

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A 5.9 magnitude earthquake rocked the U.S. Atlantic coast at 1:51 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today and caused a seismic stir on Facebook, as well, with several posts per second mentioning the quake right after it happened.

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Stafford Hospital in Virginia challenged a rumored elevated sepsis mortality rate by posting a note on the institution’s wall assuring past, present, and future patients that the claims were not true.

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Virginia might ban public school employees from communicating with students on Facebook, depending on a January 13 vote.

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