Does the First Amendment protect you at work? Charlie Kirk critics are learning the answer

(NEXSTAR) -- Workers nationwide, many of them educators, have either been let go from their jobs or placed on leave after allegedly making comments online following the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

In several states, Nexstar affiliates have reported on teachers and school administrators being put on leave amid investigations into posts they allegedly made on social media following Kirk's death. In Oregon, a teacher and city councilor faced backlash over a post celebrating Kirk's assassination. An employee of the Carolina Panthers and a contributor for MSNBC were fired for their own remarks.

In nearly every case, the employers listed the same reasoning for the decisions to fire the employee or put them on leave.

The Panthers, for example, said the "views expressed by ou