United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Cases - Baker V. Wade, Castaneda V. Pickard, Connick V. Myers, Cowden V. Commissioner, Dixon V. Al (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 30. Chapters: Baker v. Wade, Castaneda v. Pickard, Connick v. Myers, Cowden v. Commissioner, Dixon v. Alabama, Fisher v. University of Texas, Gates v. Collier, Gay Student Services v. Texas A&M University, Hopwood v. Texas, McCorvey v. Hill, Pevsner v. Commissioner, Price v. United States, Rodriguez de Quijas v. Shearson/American Express Inc., Smith v. Pilots Union, United States v. Emerson, United States v. Gotcher, United States v. John, United States v. Seale, Vault Corp. v. Quaid Software Ltd.. Excerpt: Connick v. Myers, 461 U.S. 138 (1983), is a United States Supreme Court decision concerning the First Amendment rights of public employees who speak on matters of possible public concern within the workplace context. It was first brought by Sheila Myers, an Orleans Parish, Louisiana, assistant district attorney (ADA). She had been fired by her superior, District Attorney Harry Connick Sr., when, after receiving a transfer she had fiercely resisted in private conversations with him and his chief assistant district attorney, she distributed a questionnaire to her fellow prosecutors asking about their experience with Connick's management practices. At trial, Judge Jack Gordon of the Eastern District of Louisiana found the firing had been motivated by the questionnaire and was thus an infringement on her right to speak out on matters of public concern as a public employee. After the Fifth Circuit affirmed the verdict, Connick appealed to the Supreme Court. The justices reversed the lower courts by a 5-4 margin. Justice Byron White wrote for the majority that most of the matters Myers' questionnaire had touched on were of personal, not public, concern and that the action had damaged the harmonious relations necessary for the efficient operation of the district attorney's office. William Brennan argued in dissent that the...