Opinion ID: 685658
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Barnard's Contacts with the Kansas City Star

Text: 11 It is well recognized that a State may not discharge an employee on a basis that infringes [upon] that employee's constitutionally protected interest in freedom of speech. Rankin v. McPherson, 483 U.S. 378, 383, 107 S.Ct. 2891, 2896, 97 L.Ed.2d 315 (1987) (citing Perry v. Sindermann, 408 U.S. 593, 597, 92 S.Ct. 2694, 2697, 33 L.Ed.2d 570 (1972)). Courts evaluating claims by public employees who allege discharge in derogation of their First Amendment rights must engage in a two-step inquiry. First, courts must determine whether the employee's speech can be fairly characterized as constituting speech on a matter of public concern. Connick v. Myers, 461 U.S. 138, 146, 103 S.Ct. 1684, 1690, 75 L.Ed.2d 708 (1983); Shands v. City of Kennett, 993 F.2d 1337, 1342 (8th Cir.1993) (quoting Connick, 461 U.S. at 146, 103 S.Ct. at 1689), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 114 S.Ct. 880, 127 L.Ed.2d 75 (1994). If so, the second inquiry involves balancing the employee's right to free speech against the interests of the state. Rankin, 483 U.S. at 388, 107 S.Ct. at 2899; Casey v. City of Cabool, Mo., 12 F.3d 799, 802-03 (8th Cir.1993), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 325, 130 L.Ed.2d 285 (1994). Courts must strike a balance between the interests of the [employee], as a citizen, in commenting upon matters of public concern and the interest of the State, as an employer, in promoting the efficiency of the public services it performs through its employees. Pickering v. Board of Educ., 391 U.S. 563, 568, 88 S.Ct. 1731, 1734, 20 L.Ed.2d 811 (1968). These two questions are matters of law for the court to resolve. Connick, 461 U.S. at 148 n. 7, 150 n. 10, 103 S.Ct. at 1690 n. 7, 1692 n. 10. Because we believe that the second component of the above test resolves the issues regarding Barnard's contacts with the Star, we assume without deciding that Barnard's speech with the Star touched upon matters of public concern, and we proceed to the Pickering balancing test. 12 The Pickering balancing test requires full consideration of the government's interest in the effective and efficient fulfillment of its responsibilities to the public. Connick, 461 U.S. at 150, 103 S.Ct. at 1692. As an employer, a governmental body enjoys a legitimate interest in  'promot[ing] efficiency and integrity in the discharge of official duties, and [in] maintain[ing] proper discipline in the public service.'  Id. at 150-51, 103 S.Ct. at 1692 (quoting Ex parte Curtis, 106 U.S. 371, 373, 1 S.Ct. 381, 383, 27 L.Ed. 232 (1882)) (alterations in original). The governmental body bears the burden of establishing permissible grounds for an employee's discharge. Id. at 150, 103 S.Ct. at 1691. 13 Pertinent considerations in the application of the Pickering test are whether the employee's speech has a detrimental impact on working relationships where personal loyalty or confidence is necessary, and whether the speech impedes the efficient operation of the governmental entity's function. Rankin, 483 U.S. at 388, 107 S.Ct. at 2899. Employee acts of insubordination may tip the balancing process in favor of the employer's interests in the efficient promotion of its services. Connick, 461 U.S. at 151-53, 103 S.Ct. at 1692-93. See also Hubbard v. E.P.A., 949 F.2d 453, 459-60 (D.C.Cir.1991); Jurgensen v. Fairfax County, VA., 745 F.2d 868, 883-84 (4th Cir.1984). The primary focus in applying the Pickering test is to determine whether the speech undermines the effective functioning of the public employer's enterprise. Rankin, 483 U.S. at 388, 107 S.Ct. at 2899. 14 In the present case, several legislators indicated that Barnard's penchant for disclosure of information to the press prior to its disclosure to the legislature had an adverse impact on their ability to efficiently carry out legislative tasks. Legislators could be and in some instances were contacted by the press and constituents concerning audits and investigations, the results of which the legislators were unaware. This prevented the legislators from communicating knowledgeably with the press and their constituents concerning matters which had been leaked and had the potential to erode citizen confidence in a competent and informed legislature. Barnard's leaks forced the legislature to enact the Communication Guidelines Pertaining to Legislative Auditor, which did not preclude Barnard from discussing audit results with the press but merely operated as a reasonable time restriction. As noted earlier, Jackson County Code Sec. 211.7 requires that once an auditor's report is released to the legislature it must (shall) be placed on the agenda of the next meeting as new business. Once that occurred, Barnard was free to garner all the public support for his conclusions he could and in whatever way he could muster. The legislature did not require that it be the first to know of the reports--only that the legislators not be the last to be informed by Barnard of the results of his investigations. 15 More importantly, several legislators viewed Barnard's refusal to adhere to the Communication Guidelines, after his agreement to do so, as an act of insubordination and misconduct which undermined legislator confidence in him. The nature of Barnard's duties as legislative auditor required him to work in close harmony with members of the legislature and demands someone the legislature views as possessing integrity, loyalty, and a willingness to adhere to legislative requests. He was appointed by the legislature, served at its pleasure, and undertook tasks as it directed him to perform. He frequently dealt with sensitive issues of county government which the legislature justifiably viewed as confidential until they were fully investigated and reported upon. His interest in gaining support from the editors of the Star for the conclusions of the not-yet-released medical examiner's audit in advance of informing his employer of the results is substantially outweighed by the Jackson County legislature's right to demand that its employees follow its procedures and its need to possess the information contained in the audits before being contacted by the press or constituents about them. 16 Further, Barnard's asserted First Amendment right to leak information that he has gathered as the legislature's investigator is dubious in the face of a dearth of case law reaching such a conclusion. The few reported cases that address this issue indicate that such a right is not tenable. See Hubbard, 949 F.2d at 459-60; Jurgensen, 745 F.2d at 883-84. As the able district judge observed, the absence of such case law indicates that public employees seldom argue that such a right exists. Barnard, 832 F.Supp. at 1341. For instance, few would dispute the President's authority to terminate a staff member who had a propensity to leak sensitive information to the press before the President was informed of it. In such instances, the integrity and proper functioning of the office mandate that information be made known to the office holder before it is disseminated to the public. The same holds true in this case for the office of the Jackson County legislative auditor. 17 The defendants have satisfied their burden to show that their interest in the efficient functioning of the legislature outweighs Barnard's personal interest in disseminating audit and investigation results to the press prior to providing it to his employer, the legislature. We hold that Barnard's termination as legislative auditor was not made in violation of his First Amendment rights as a public employee with respect to his contacts with the Kansas City Star.