Pipkin, Judge. Appellant Equity Prime Mortgage (“EPM”) sued Appellees Marjorie Taylor Greene and Greene for Congress (collectively “Greene”) for defamation and false light invasion of privacy. The action stems from Greene’s social media posts and political advertisements made in connection with EPM’s June 2020 firing of Melissa Rolfe (“Rolfe”).[1] On Greene’s motion, the trial court dismissed the action pursuant to Georgia’s anti-Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (“anti-SLAPP”) statute, OCGA § 9-11-11.1. EPM now appeals. While we agree with the trial court that Greene’s speech was made in connection with “an issue of public interest or concern,” as that phrase is used in the anti-SLAPP statute, we also conclude that the trial court failed to properly consider the second step of the anti-SLAPP analysis. Because the trial court’s analysis did not conform to the strict inquiry mandated by decisions of the Supreme Court of Georgia, we affirm in part and vacate in part, and we remand for further consideration of Greene’s motion. 1. “In cases at the margin, it may sometimes be difficult to figure out what constitutes speech protected by the First Amendment. But this is not a hard case in that respect.” Wollschlaeger v. Governor, Fla., 848 F3d 1293, 1307 (III) (A) (11th Cir. 2017). Here,[2] Rolfe began working for EPM as a Human Resources Director in February 2020. On June 12, 2020, Rolfe’s stepson, Garrett, while employed as police officer in Atlanta, was involved in a shooting that resulted in the death of Rayshard Brooks; a few days later, Garrett was charged with numerous offenses, including felony murder. While EPM initially sent supportive messages to Rolfe and granted her eight weeks of paid leave to deal with the fallout from the incident, EPM terminated Rolfe’s employment in a brief telephone call on June 18, 2020, the day after the charges against Garrett were announced. There is no dispute that, during that telephone call, Rolfe did not ask why she was being fired, and EPM did not provide a reason. Around this time, Marjorie Taylor Greene was a congressional candidate who “emphasized her support for law enforcement” and centered her campaign around her vocal support for “‘Back the Blue,’ a political movement that . . . counter[ed] to demands to ‘defund the police.’” Following the shooting of Rayshard Brooks, then-candidate Greene took to social media to voice her support for Garrett and his stepmother. After learning of Rolfe’s firing, Greene posted the following message on social media: I am praying for my friend Melissa Rolfe and her family. First, her step son (who was acting in self defense) lost his job [and] was charged with murder! Then[,] Melissa’s employer caved to the mob and wrongfully fired her! The war on our police officers and their families must end!
