‘Unfollowing’ Undue Influence: The Inadequacy of The Hatch Act in the Age of Twitter and Congressional Solutions for Reform

Comment by Shelby C. Shearer*

This paper discusses the Hatch Act’s statutory history as well as its current application; it also focuses on the disparity in the Act’s current enforcement procedures and addresses the consequences of allowing it to continue. This paper recommends amending the Hatch Act to be more reflective of certain state-level Hatch Act equivalents and for Congress to work with social media companies to enact regulation procedures to go into effect when federal employees violate the Hatch Act on their platforms.


About the Author

Shelby C. Shearer, J.D. candidate 2022, Tulane University Law School; B.B.A. & B.A. 2019, The University of Texas at Austin.

Citation

96 Tul. L. Rev. Online 1 (2022)