By Mikal E. Belicove|For Entrepreneur.com|May 17, 2012

As a transitive verb, Merriam-Webster describes “like” as “feeling attraction toward or taking pleasure in.” To a 15-year-old girl, the word “like” is a filler used as often as three times in each spoken sentence. To most people, “like” is a lighthearted word, a happy word.

So at what point does clicking “Like” on a Facebook page result in a pair of federal complaints pitting employers against employees and raising fresh questions about the role of online speech? In recent weeks, two cases have come to light, each featuring employees clicking “Like” on Facebook and being fired for having done so.

In the first incident, a Library of Congress worker says he was fired when he “Liked” a Facebook Page of an organization advocating gay adoption of children. According to published reports, the 30-year-old library employee, who previously received only glowing work evaluations, said the library became a hostile work environment after his supervisor learned he was gay.

In a report published by DCist, a Washington, D.C., website, the employee said he became Facebook “friends” with the supervisor’s daughter, and it was through that friendship that his boss discovered that he had “Liked” the Two Dads Facebook Page. After his subsequent firing, the employee filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A ruling is expected later this month.

In the second incident (Bland v. Roberts), the Hampton, Va. sheriff fired six of his employees when he discovered they “Liked” the Facebook page of his political rival, a candidate for the sheriff’s elected post. In that lawsuit, the U.S. District Court found in favor of the sheriff, saying the firings were legitimate because “Liking” someone on Facebook does not constitute free speech and is not protected under the First Amendment.

Should a “Like” be protected as freedom of speech? Damon E. Dunn, a partner in the law firm Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman and Dunn Ltd., says public employees can…

Continue Reading: When Facebook’s ‘Like’ Pushes the Wrong Button with Employers