U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Petitioner
Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., Solicitor General
In 1978, the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA), which provided protections for Federal employees who revealed government misconduct. In 1989, Congress passed the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA), and in 2012, it passed the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, expanding on these safeguards. In 2003, Robert J. MacLean sought protection from these laws after he was fired by his employer, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), for giving information about air marshal flight assignments to a reporter. MacLean believed that cutbacks were threatening air safety and wanted his employer to change its policy. After the Merit Systems Protection…
