Supreme Court Limits Government Employee Speech Protection

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The Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that government employees are not protected for what they may say as part of their official duties. Lawyers for government whistle-blowers denounced the ruling but counsel for city and state agencies said it will prevent routine internal workplace disputes from becoming federal court cases. The litigation involved demotion of an assistant district attorney in Los Angeles who wrote a series of memos alleging a police officer lied in obtaining a search warrant. (5/31/06)