As its term winds down and pending cases are resolved in an annual flurry, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision affirming the right of whistleblower testimony to be protected under the First Amendment as free speech. So reports SHRM.
The ruling reversed years of decisions by lower courts stemming from a case involving a supervisor who claimed he was fired from his job at a community college for terminating an employee he suspected of corrupt behavior.
Though this particular decision has more implications for public employees than it does for those in the private sector, it may provide would-be whistleblowers with the courage to come forward with damning information, with less fear of retaliation for their actions.