Facebook, ACLU: Clicking 'Like' is free speech

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Attorneys for Facebook and the American Civil Liberties Union want a federal appeals court to rule that clicking "Like" on the social networking site is constitutionally-protected free speech.

The case revolves around six employees who were fired by Hampton Sheriff B.J. Roberts after they supported his re-election opponent in 2009.

The workers sued, saying they should not have been fired and that their First Amendment rights were violated. U.S. District Judge Raymond Jackson ruled against them. The workers are appealing to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond.

One of the workers 'liked' the Facebook page of Roberts' opponent. Jackson wrote that clicking the 'like' button isn't a substantive statement that warrants First Amendment protection.

Facebook and the ACLU filed arguments in support of that worker.