A former Air Force employee signed a settlement agreement that gave him a clean record and a cool $25,000 in cash to wipe out his removal appeal. He took the agreement and the cash then took his case to court arguing the agreement had been coerced and he should not have been fired. His arguments did not generate any sympathy with the court.
Reassignment from a supervisory to a non-supervisory position-with no reduction in grade or pay-does not add up to an adverse action subject to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
A former EPA attorney challenged his removal for misuse of agency time and resources to carry on an outside law practice by arguing that the agency was inconsistent in levying penalties because it did not fire employees who participated in the annual NCAA basketball tournament office pool. The argument fell on unsympathetic ears.
The Supreme Court has broadened the circumstances under which agency can be sued under the Federal Tort Claims Act for so-called “intentional torts” committed by federal law enforcement officers, making those officers less likely to face suits against them in their personal capacity
The author recounts her experience with using the government’s regulations.gov web site to submit feedback on proposed regulations.
There was enough evidence to convince the Postal Service that a supervisor had helped himself to a grocery gift card that belonged in the pile of undeliverable mail. This led to his removal.
A first-grade DOD civilian school teacher fired for inappropriately touching students when disciplining them has won reinstatement from the appeals court.
A Department of Energy Employee was caught lying about his age and place of birth. Not only did he get into trouble with the law, he ended up losing his right to an annuity and he must repay more than $20,000 to OPM.
Ms. Smith spent most of her 26-year federal government career with NASA, first at NASA Headquarters Office of General Counsel and then at Marshall Space Flight Center, serving as Chief Counsel there for more than 14 years. Her expertise is in government contracts, ethics, and personnel law.
She also spent one year as Assistant Counsel to the Select Committee on Ethics in the United States Senate where she was responsible for drafting the Senate's ground breaking Code of Ethical Conduct. At NASA, Ms. Smith was Deputy Associate General Counsel for General Law. She was appointed Chief Counsel at Marshall Space Flight Center in 1982, the first woman to hold a chief counsel position in the agency and to hold a Senior Executive Service position at Marshall. Another first was her appointment in 1996 as Associate Director of Marshall Space Flight Center.
Ms. Smith has a J.D and a B.A. degree from the George Washington University. Her publications include Practical Ethics for the Federal Employee.