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Supreme Court rules against whistleblowers
By UPI Staff
United Press International
May 31, 2006

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- A divided Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that government whistleblowers have no First Amendment protection for comments involving their jobs.

The justices ruled 5-4 against Richard Ceballos, a supervisor in the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, who claimed that he had been subject to retaliation for a memo that said a police affidavit for a search warrant contained misrepresentations. The court, overruling an appellate decision, found that public employees making statements in the course of official duties "are not speaking as citizens for First Amendment purposes."

"Without a significant degree of control over its employees' words and actions, a government employer would have little chance to provide public services efficiently," the court said in a summary of the decision.

The National Whistleblower Center said that the ruling deprives whistleblowers of almost all protection.

"The ruling is a victory for every crooked politician in the United States," said Stephen Kohn, the center's director.

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