Lawsuit Challenges Moderation on Monmouth County Sheriff’s Facebook Page
Plaintiff alleges comments critical of officials were hidden from public view.
A new civil lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Monmouth County raises questions about how the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office moderates comments on its official Facebook page and whether those practices violate state constitutional free-speech protections.
The case1, brought by Laurie Tietjen against the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Shaun Golden, alleges that her comments on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page were selectively restricted or hidden from public view through a practice commonly described as “shadowbanning,” while remaining visible to her when she was logged into her account.
According to the amended verified complaint, the Sheriff’s Office operates its Facebook page as an official channel for public communication, inviting residents to comment, react, and engage on matters related to public safety and official county business. The plaintiff argues that this interactive space constitutes a designated public forum under New Jersey law and that viewpoint-based suppression of speech within such a forum is unconstitutional.
The complaint alleges that after posting comments critical of Sheriff Golden and other county officials, the plaintiff’s comments were hidden from public view through administrative moderation tools. Rather than blocking her outright, the filing claims that the Sheriff’s Office used automated moderation features, including keyword-based filters, to suppress comments containing certain terms.
The complaint asserts that this system includes more than 1,000 keywords, some of which are described as neutral civic terms such as “public,” “safety,” and “government.”
Plaintiff contends that these moderation practices amount to viewpoint discrimination and prior restraint in violation of the New Jersey Constitution and the New Jersey Civil Rights Act. The lawsuit seeks declaratory relief, injunctive relief restoring the visibility of her comments, disclosure of the keyword filtering system, and attorney’s fees.
In response, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office have opposed the plaintiff’s application for immediate relief. Certifications submitted by county officials state that the Sheriff’s Office does not maintain a list of blocked users, does not intentionally suppress comments based on viewpoint, and that any hidden comments resulted from human error or platform settings rather than targeted censorship.
The defendants characterize the Facebook page primarily as an informational platform and dispute the plaintiff’s description of its moderation practices.
The plaintiff has filed reply papers disputing those explanations, citing internal moderation logs and screenshots that she argues contradict the claim of inadvertent or neutral moderation. Her filings maintain that keyword-based filtering remains active and that critical comments were disproportionately affected.
The matter is currently before the court on an Order to Show Cause seeking preliminary injunctive relief. A motion hearing has been scheduled for February 6, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold.
At that hearing, the court will consider whether the plaintiff has met the legal standard for preliminary relief, including whether she has shown a likelihood of success on the merits and irreparable harm. The judge may grant, deny, or modify the requested injunction, or schedule further proceedings.
If the court grants preliminary relief, it could require the Sheriff’s Office to restore the plaintiff’s ability to comment without restriction and suspend certain moderation tools while the litigation proceeds. If relief is denied, the case would continue through the normal discovery and motion process.
At this stage, the filings reflect competing factual accounts of how the Sheriff’s Office’s social media moderation functions and whether those practices cross constitutional boundaries. The court’s ruling on the Order to Show Cause will determine the next phase of the litigation.
Notes
- Tietjen v. Monmouth County, Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Monmouth County, Docket No. MON-L-000080–26 (filed 11 Jan. 2026).