No, the government can't restrict employees' free, non-governmental speech

In a major win for protecting individual freedom of speech against government infringement, a federal district court ruled Wednesday that government workers cannot be restricted from engaging in free speech during their personal time and that policies requiring government officials to “pre-clear” messages are unconstitutional.

The case is Cochran v. City of Atlanta. Kelvin Cochran, Atlanta’s fire chief from 2010 to 2015, wrote a short Christian devotional book for men on his personal time while in office. Originally published in 2013, the book is titled “Who Told You That You Were Naked?” referencing God’s question to Adam in Genesis 3 and the fall of man. In the book, Cochran writes orthodox Christian views on marriage and sex.