Supreme Court Limits Whistle-Blower Lawsuits
The court today ruled that First Amendment guarantees do not always protect government employees when they speak out pursuant to their official capacities--as opposed to as citizens speaking out on matters of public concern. Here's how SCOTUSblog interprets the ruling: "This apparently means that employees may be disciplined for their official capacity speech, without any First Amendment scrutiny, and without regard to whether it touches on matters of 'public concern' -- a very significant doctrinal development."The court today ruled that First Amendment guarantees do not always protect government employees when they speak out pursuant to their official capacities–as opposed to as citizens speaking out on matters of public concern.
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...Washington Post:
The Supreme Court today narrowed the First Amendment protections for public employees who reveal perceived wrongdoing they happen to observe in the course of doing their jobs.
The decision enhances the ability of governments at all levels to punish employees for speaking out, shielding officials in many instances from lawsuits for violating the right to free speech.
It does not interfere with federal or state laws that independently protect the actions of whistleblowers.
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
A just-approved amendment forces the state to allocate superdelegates based on caucus results.
I recently introduced an amendment at the Senate Budget Committee. It asked my Senate colleagues to begin the process of overturning the disastrous Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United, and to bring transparency and disclosure to the political process.
Conservative types sure are liberal about whom, or what, they're willing to call a person. Hey, corporations are people too! And according to Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and other like-minded state legislators, so is a fertilized egg.
In results released Sunday evening, 77 percent of Egyptian voters have endorsed amendments to their country’s constitution that will pave the way for parliamentary elections, which the military junta said will be held in June.
If you can't beat ’em, hit ’em with a bunch of amendments they'd have a hard time opposing. That was apparently the strategy of Republicans hoping to throw a wrench into the health care reform works in the Senate on Wednesday.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.