Wyoming Judicial Branch Social Media Terms and Conditions

The Administrative Office of the Courts (hereafter referred to as “AOC” or “the AOC”) of the Wyoming Judicial Branch (hereafter referred to as “WJB”), which administers the social media accounts on behalf of the Wyoming Judicial Branch, recognizes that social media enhances public awareness by informing and educating about Wyoming’s courts. The AOC uses social media to showcase its story, highlight the courts’ work, offer insights into legal processes and procedures, and engage directly with the community.

The AOC prioritizes the accuracy and consistency of information on its social media platforms. These terms and conditions provide guidelines for the public use of the AOC’s social media accounts, aiming to balance these interests. Users must also adhere to the terms of use of the social media platforms on which they comment or post.

Content posted on any official AOC social media page is intended to provide general information concerning various Wyoming laws, processes, procedures, and other topics in simple language; it may not apply to the facts and circumstances of a particular situation. While the AOC hopes the information provided is helpful, posts and comments on an official social media page, whether added by the AOC or its authorized users, are not intended to be, and may not be, relied upon as legal advice. The AOC’s social media accounts are administered by the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Definitions

1. “Social media” means digital content created by the AOC and communicated on platforms that allow sharing, commenting, and engagement from the public. Examples of social media accounts the AOC may use are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
2. “Comments” include any digital content, information, links, images, videos, or any other form of communicative content posted in reply or response to a social media account operated by the AOC.
3. “User” means a member of the public who views or interacts with one or more of the AOC’s social media accounts.

General Guidelines

1. These terms and conditions apply to all social media accounts maintained by the AOC. Where possible, a link to these terms and conditions will be made available as a hyperlink or posted as text somewhere on the social media account(s).
2. Social media posts created by the AOC, comments and replies to those posts, and any direct or private messages sent to the AOC may be public records subject to applicable public records access laws and rules.
3. While its social media pages are publicly accessible, the AOC is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of its audience. Accordingly, followers and commenters should not include confidential or personally identifiable information, such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, driver’s license or identification card numbers, addresses, etc., in comments. Posting such information is done so solely at the poster’s own risk. The AOC is not responsible for any compromise of confidential or personal information resulting from posting such information in comments or submissions on its social media pages.
4. The AOC’s social media accounts are not monitored 24/7 and should not be used to seek emergency services. Anyone in need of emergency help should call 911.
5. The AOC does not guarantee a response to comments or messages sent on official social media accounts.
6. Comments included on the AOC’s social media pages do not reflect the opinions and position of the WJB, are not binding on the WJB, and do not replace, alter, or supersede either Federal or Wyoming law or regulations.
7. The AOC welcomes comments, questions, and concerns from the public through its social media pages. By posting to the AOC’s social media pages, users acknowledge that they, and not the AOC, are responsible for any content posted, including any content that may be posted in violation of the AOC’s policies or this disclaimer.
8. The AOC reserves the right to disable comments on one or more posts at any time for any reason.

Expectations

The leaders of the AOC believe that honest, civil, and productive discussions provide the best environment for citizens to understand the work of their government and to engage constructively.

The AOC encourages users to submit comments, questions, and concerns, but reserves the right to delete any and all user submissions, without notice, for violations of this policy. Potential reasons for deletion by the AOC include, but are not limited to, comments or other user submissions that contain:

• Confidential information;
• Personally identifiable information;
• Content that is off topic from the related post, such as unrelated personal stories or unrelated legal matters;
• Comments about another government agency that are not relevant to a particular post;
• Obscenity, profanity, or vulgar language, which is defined as sexually explicit and/or pornographic content that is patently offensive, appeals to prurient interest, and lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value;
• Personal attacks, threats, or language that suggests potential violence. These types of threats will be reported to the relevant social media platform and law enforcement;
• Comments that promote discrimination or directly promote or advocate that the judicial system illegally discriminates based on race, age, religion, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other legally protected class;
• Spam or links to other non-AOC sites. This will be done without regard to the viewpoint of the comment containing such a link or the content of the site to which the link redirects;
• Links to malware and/or malicious content that affects the normal functioning of a computer system, server, or browser;
• Advocacy for illegal activity;
• Infringement on copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property;
• Promotion for particular services, products, websites, or other social media sites;
• Political campaign-related content;
• Information that may compromise the safety, security, or proceedings of public systems or any criminal or civil investigation;
• Actual defamation against a person, either as determined by a court or comments that are patently defamatory by easily discovered facts; and
• Images or other content that violate the intellectual property or copyright rights of someone else, if the owner of that property notifies the AOC that the property was improperly posted in a comment on the AOC’s social media account(s).