Call It “Extreme” Jury Duty?
An appeals court has no problem with a federal employee volunteering for multiple years to serve on a local county court grand jury and requiring her agency employer to continue paying her full salary.
Author: Susan McGuire Smith
Will an Agency Need a Crystal Ball In Order to Win a Removal Case in the Future?
The appeals court has sent an appeal back to the arbitrator with instructions to consider evidence that came up after the personnel action was taken in reaching his final decision on appropriateness of the removal penalty.
Court Orders a Do-Over In NLRB’s Certification of Union as Exclusive Representative
While not specifically involving the federal sector, a case involving an Atlantic City casino whose facts give rise to the court tossing it back to the NLRB to try again demonstrate that unions can in fact step over the line in organizing campaigns.
Supremes Curtail Avenues of Appeal for Fired Federal Employees
The Supreme Court has just issued a decision that heads off an end run around the Civil Service Reform Act’s employee appeals process. The court refuses to permit the district courts to supplant MSPB jurisdiction simply because the appeal is challenging the constitutionality of the law barring those who dodge selective service registration requirements from being employed by the federal government.
Federal Supervisor No Longer Faces Personal Liability for Separating Probationary Employee
The US Court of Appeals disagrees with the lower court’s refusal to dismiss a Bivens lawsuit filed personally against a supervisor by a fired Library of Congress probationary employee. The case has been remanded with instructions to dismiss.
Must Prior Military Service Be Applied to Reduce a Federal Probationary Period?
In a recent decision the Federal Circuit refused to buy a probationary employee’s argument that he should receive credit for his military service against his probation requirement in determining whether he was covered by the statutory right to appeal his probationary separation to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Threats Against Co-Workers Lead to Navy Employee’s Removal
A Navy employee is unable to get the court to overturn his removal for making threats against coworkers and dissing his supervisors.
Lack of Detail Leads to Denial of Survivor Annuity
Here is another recent case that establishes the critical importance of dotting every “i” and crossing every “t” if a retired federal employee intends to give a former spouse a survivor annuity.
Former Fed Who Breached His Fiduciary Duty to the Government Ordered to Repay $383,600
There is yet another chapter in the case of the Interior Department economist who was bestowed with a $383,600 monetary award by a group that the employee had assisted in bringing a successful false claims action involving underpayment by oil companies of royalties owed to the Mineral Management Service.
Getting in Base Security’s Face Leads to Suspension
A Navy employee got aggressive with the shipyard’s security personnel resulting in his badge and clearance being pulled. Without a clearance he was suspended indefinitely from his job. He did not find much sympathy when he appealed.
