Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/10pdf/09-530.pdf
Page Number: 22

18 

NASA v. NELSON 

Opinion of the Court 

in part.”  Id., at 596–597. 

That analysis applies with even greater force where the
Government  acts,  not  as  a  regulator,  but  as  the  manager 
of  its  internal  affairs.  See  Engquist,  supra,  at  598–599. 
SF–85’s  “treatment  or  counseling”  question  reasonably 
seeks to identify a subset of acknowledged drug users who 
are  attempting  to  overcome  their  problems.  The  Govern-
ment’s considered position is that phrasing the question in
more  permissive  terms  would  result  in  a  lower  response 
rate, and the question’s effectiveness in identifying illegal-
drug  users  who  are  suitable  for  employment  would  be
“materially reduced.”  Reply Brief for Petitioners 19.  That 
is  a  reasonable  position,  falling  within  the  “ ‘wide  lati-
tude’ ”  granted  the  Government  in  its  dealings  with  em-
ployees.  See Engquist, supra, at 600. 

3 
The  Court  of  Appeals  also  held  that  the  broad,  “open-
ended  questions”  on  Form  42  likely  violate  respondents’ 
informational-privacy  rights.    Form  42  asks  applicants’ 
designated  references  and  landlords  for  “information”
bearing  on  “suitability  for  government  employment  or  a 
security clearance.”  App. 97.  In a series of questions, the 
Government  asks  if  the  reference  has  any  “adverse  infor-
mation”  about  the  applicant’s  “honesty  or  trustworthi-
ness,”  “violations  of  the  law,”  “financial  integrity,”  “abuse 
of  alcohol  and/or  drugs,”  “mental  or  emotional  stability,” 
“general behavior or conduct,” or “other matters.”  Ibid. 

These  open-ended  inquiries,  like  the  drug-treatment
question  on  SF–85,  are  reasonably  aimed  at  identifying 
capable  employees  who  will  faithfully  conduct  the  Gov-
ernment’s  business.  See  Engquist,  supra,  at  598–599. 
Asking  an  applicant’s  designated  references  broad,  open-
ended questions about job suitability is an appropriate tool 
for separating strong candidates from weak ones.  It would 
be  a  truly  daunting  task  to  catalog  all  the  reasons  why  a