WASHINGTON, June 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned a ruling that limited federal employees' ability to take their claims against agencies to court.
In its decision, the high court rejected the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling that federal courts lack jurisdiction over claims brought by employees who are covered by federal laws and regulations governing workplace grievances, GovExec.com reported Monday.
The case, Terry L. Whitman v. Department of Transportation, involves a Federal Aviation Administration employee who works at the Alaska Regional Air Traffic Control Center. In 2001, Whitman filed a grievance with the Federal Labor Relations Authority, alleging that he had been unfairly singled out for repeated random drug and alcohol tests, GovExec.com said.
The FLRA's regional director said the case was outside its jurisdiction. Whitman then filed a suit in federal court charging that the agency had violated his constitutional rights, the report said.
The case hinged largely on a minor wording change to the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act that was enacted in 1994. The act had stated that its procedures "shall be the exclusive procedures for resolving grievances within its coverage." Under the amendments, the wording was changed to "exclusive administrative procedures." Whitman and his supporters say the new wording indicates that Congress intended to allow for judicial review of cases like his.
A federal district court, however, ruled that under the CSRA, it lacked jurisdiction to hear Whitman's grievances. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, saying that since the CSRA "does not expressly confer jurisdiction over employment-related claims," the courts can't assume they have it, GovExec.com said.
