Opinion ID: 1179762
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Heading: Analytical Framework to Determine Whether Public Employee Speech is Constitutionally Protected

Text: The Supreme Court has framed a two-prong test to determine whether a public employee's speech is protected by the First Amendment. First, the employee's speech must involve a matter of public concern. Second, the employee's First Amendment rights in commenting on a matter of public concern must not be outweighed by the public employer's interest in providing public services efficiently. Each of these requirements must be satisfied before the employee's speech is protected by the First Amendment.
An employee's expression may be fairly characterized as constituting expression on a matter of public concern when it relat[es] to any matter of political, social, or other concern to the community, id. at 146, 103 S.Ct. at 1689, as determined by the content, form, and context of [that expression] as revealed by the whole record. Id. at 147-48, 103 S.Ct. at 1690-91. In answering the question whether the employee's speech involves a matter of public concern, the court must examine for itself the statements in issue and the circumstances under which they are made to see whether they are of a character that the First Amendment protects. Rankin v. McPherson, supra, 483 U.S. at 386, 107 S.Ct. at 2897; Connick v. Myers, supra, 461 U.S. at 150 n. 10, 103 S.Ct. at 1692 n. 10. The inappropriate or controversial character of the expression is irrelevant to the inquiry. Rankin v. McPherson, supra, 483 U.S. at 387, 107 S.Ct. at 2898. Whether speech concerns a matter of public concern is a question of law, not fact, for the Court. Connick v. Myers, supra, 461 U.S. at 148 n. 7, 103 S.Ct. at 1690 n. 7.
Even if the public employee's speech involves a matter of public concern and, therefore, passes the threshold public concern test introduced in Connick and, accordingly, the First Amendment is implicated, a retaliatory discharge nevertheless may not offend the First Amendment. As previously stated, the determination of whether a public employer has properly discharged an employee for engaging in speech of public concern requires an application of the Pickering balancing test, i.e., a balance between the interests of the employee as a citizen, in commenting on matters of public concern, and the interest of the governmental body as an employer, in providing public services efficiently. Connick v. Myers, supra, 461 U.S. at 146, 103 S.Ct. at 1689; Pickering v. Board of Education, supra, 391 U.S. at 568, 88 S.Ct. at 1734. Relevant to the balancing analysis is the manner, time, and place in which the expression is made. Connick v. Myers, supra, 461 U.S. at 152, 103 S.Ct. at 1692. Impairment of work-place discipline and creation of disharmony with coworkers are factors to be weighed in the balance. Rankin v. McPherson, supra, 483 U.S. at 388, 107 S.Ct. at 2899; Connick v. Myers, supra, 461 U.S. at 152-53, 103 S.Ct. at 1692-93; Pickering v. Board of Education, supra, 391 U.S. at 570-73, 88 S.Ct. at 1735-37. In applying the Pickering balancing test, a wide degree of deference will be given to the employer's assessment of such disruption, at least in situations where close working relationships are essential to fulfilling public responsibilities. [8] Connick v. Myers, supra, 461 U.S. at 151-52, 103 S.Ct. at 1692-93. If the public employer's interest in efficiency outweighs the employee's right to freedom of expression, the employee's expression is not protected by the First Amendment. [9] If the employer's interest in efficiency does not outweigh the employee's right to freedom of expression, the expression is protected. Rankin v. McPherson, supra, 483 U.S. at 392, 107 S.Ct. at 2901. Whether the employee's speech enjoys the protected status is a question of law for the court. Connick v. Myers, supra, 461 U.S. at 148 n. 7, 103 S.Ct. at 1690 n. 7.