Opinion ID: 747631
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: William Derrick

Text: 32 Plaintiff Derrick was also a deputy in the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department before his termination on September 1, 1994. In response to defendant's motion for summary judgment, Derrick points out the following evidence in support of his claim that his discharge violated his First Amendment rights. He presents his own deposition testimony that he campaigned for York in the general election, attended a political function in support of York, distributed campaign signs and bumper stickers, and displayed a sign in front of his house and a bumper sticker on his automobile. He also relies on deposition testimony that he appeared in a local television advertisement supporting York. Although he did not speak and was only visible from the neck down, plaintiff Derrick claimed that a lot of people that saw it came to me and said they recognized me. He also stated that he believed Glenn Woody, an employee of the sheriff's department, told defendant of Derrick's support for York. This belief is corroborated by Woody's affidavit, in which Woody states: 33 3. After Leon Tollett was elected sheriff, Leon Tollett told me that Bill Derrick was a good officer but that he hauled around the wrong bumper sticker. 34 4. After Leon Tollett was elected Sheriff, he fired Bill Derrick as a deputy sheriff with the Sheriff's office for Cumberland County, Tennessee. 35 5. I understood Leon Tollett's reference to the wrong bumper sticker to mean that Bill Derrick was fired from his job because he supported Leon Tollett's opponent in the election for Sheriff. 36 We find that plaintiff Derrick has raised genuine issues regarding whether defendant knew of Derrick's political affiliation and whether defendant fired plaintiff because of his political affiliation. He has pointed out evidence in the record that could allow a jury to conclude that defendant knew that plaintiff Derrick supported his opponent in the election, and fired him for that reason. 37 Because plaintiff Derrick has raised a genuine issue regarding the reason for his dismissal, we must consider whether his claim that defendant violated his First Amendment rights nevertheless fails because his position as a deputy falls within the Branti exception to the prohibition against patronage dismissals. This is an issue of law appropriate for us to decide. See, e.g., Mumford v. Basinski, 105 F.3d 264, 271 (6th Cir.1997). 38 The Supreme Court first considered the constitutionality of patronage based dismissals in Elrod v. Burns, 427 U.S. 347, 96 S.Ct. 2673, 49 L.Ed.2d 547 (1976), a case involving sheriff's department employees. As the Court later remarked, 39 In Elrod, it was clear that the duties of the employees--the chief deputy of the process division of the sheriff's office, a process server and another employee in that office, and a bailiff and a security guard at the Juvenile Court of Cook County--were not of that character [where private political beliefs would interfere with the discharge of public duties], for they were, as Mr. Justice Stewart stated, nonpolicymaking, nonconfidential employees. 40 Branti, 445 U.S. at 517, 100 S.Ct. at 1294 (quoting 427 U.S. at 375, 96 S.Ct. at 2690-91 (Stewart, J., concurring)). This analysis, however, does not compel a conclusion that deputy sheriffs fall outside the Branti exception. The case-by-case nature of the test established in Branti requires courts to look at the responsibilities and duties of each position. See O'Hare Truck Serv., Inc. v. City of Northlake, 518 U.S. 712, ----, 116 S.Ct. 2353, 2358, 135 L.Ed.2d 874 (1996) ([T]he inquiry is whether the affiliation requirement is a reasonable one, so it is inevitable that some case-by-case adjudication will be required even where political affiliation is the test the government has imposed.). Thus, despite the context of Elrod, several circuits have held that deputies may be fired for their political affiliation. 41 The Seventh Circuit has concluded that deputy sheriffs operate with a sufficient level of autonomy and discretionary authority to justify a sheriff's use of political considerations when determining who will serve as deputies. Upton v. Thompson, 930 F.2d 1209, 1218 (7th Cir.1991); accord Dimmig v. Wahl, 983 F.2d 86, 87 (7th Cir.1993). In Upton, the Seventh Circuit noted that sheriffs are often elected because of the popular approval of his expressed political agenda. 930 F.2d at 1215. It reasoned further that, 42 [p]articularly in a small department, a Sheriff's core group of advisers will likely include his deputies. A deputy sheriff, in implementing the Sheriff's basic policy, will make some decisions that will actually create policy. ... [D]eputies on patrol or other assignment frequently work autonomously, giving them wide latitude and discretion in performance of their duties and in the implementation of department goals. In order to promote public confidence in law enforcement, the Sheriff depends on his deputies to publicly project his competence and the competence of the office. Deputies are also expected to provide the Sheriff with, truthful, accurate and beneficial information which he needs to make decisions and administer his office. 43 Id. (citation omitted) (quoting Livas v. Petka, 711 F.2d 798, 801 (7th Cir.1983)). 44 In Terry v. Cook, 866 F.2d 373 (11th Cir.1989), the Eleventh Circuit considered a newly-elected sheriff who refused to rehire any of his predecessor's employees. It held that under Alabama law, [t]he closeness and cooperation required between sheriffs and their deputies necessitates the sheriff's absolute authority over their appointment and/or retention. Id. at 377. The court continued, [u]nder the Elrod-Branti standard, loyalty to the individual sheriff and the goals and policies he seeks to implement through his office is an appropriate requirement for the effective performance of a deputy sheriff. Id. Thus, the Eleventh Circuit, like the Seventh, allows the discharge of sheriff's deputies based on their political loyalties or affiliations. 45 The Fourth Circuit, recently reversing its position on this issue, has joined the Seventh and Eleventh Circuits in holding that political affiliation is an appropriate requirement for the position of deputy sheriff. In Jones v. Dodson, 727 F.2d 1329, 1338 (4th Cir.1984), the Fourth Circuit held that deputy sheriffs could not be discharged justifiably on the basis of political affiliation. It recently revisited this question in Jenkins v. Medford, 119 F.3d 1156 (4th Cir.1997) (en banc), and overruled Dodson. In Jenkins, deputy sheriffs in North Carolina alleged that they were fired by a newly-elected sheriff because they did not support his election campaign. The Fourth Circuit, adopting the logic of Cook and Upton, held that political affiliation is an appropriate requirement for deputy sheriffs because [d]eputy sheriffs play a special role in implementing the sheriff's policies and goals. Id. at 1162. Like the Seventh Circuit in Upton, the Fourth Circuit found that deputies on patrol exercise significant discretion, and that the sheriff relies heavily on deputies to implement his policies and maintain his political goodwill. Id. It concluded that political affiliation and campaign activity were appropriate grounds for dismissal because [e]ither basis serves as a proxy for loyalty to the sheriff. Id. at 1164. 5 46 In contrast, the Third Circuit reached the opposite conclusion when it considered this question in Burns v. County of Cambria, 971 F.2d 1015 (3d Cir.1992). The plaintiffs in Burns included three deputy sheriffs who were fired after the election of a new sheriff in Cambria County. Both parties agreed that the primary duties of deputy sheriffs in Cambria County were to serve process, transport prisoners, and provide courtroom security. Id. at 1022. The court concluded as follows: on the basis of the record, which fails to show that Cambria County deputy sheriffs enjoy significant autonomy or discretion in their jobs or that their political activities are relevant to their duties, we hold that [the defendant] has failed to demonstrate that firing deputy sheriffs for their political affiliation or activities comes within the narrow exception for political dismissals recognized in Branti and Elrod. Id. at 1023. 47 Sheriff Tollett testified at deposition that the position of deputy sheriff was at the bottom of the chain of command in the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department. The record shows that a deputy's primary duty is to patrol the roads of the county, enforcing the laws of Cumberland County and the State of Tennessee. Three deputies are on patrol individually at any given time; each is responsible for one-third of the county. They carry firearms and respond to crisis situations. Derrick testified that even as shift supervisor he just enforced the policies that were made by someone else. This record provides no greater details of the duties of a sheriff's deputy in Cumberland County. 48 We conclude that defendant has failed to show that political affiliation is an appropriate requirement for the effective performance of this position. The record does not show that Cumberland County deputy sheriffs had the types of specific duties or responsibilities, or the amount of discretion or policymaking authority, that would make political affiliation an appropriate requirement for employment. Defendant offered no evidence that shows that supporting defendant's political opponent would in any way prevent a Cumberland County deputy sheriff from effectively performing his duties. It may be that in future cases, defendants will show that the duties and responsibilities of a sheriff's deputy make political affiliation an appropriate requirement for employment in that position. Based on the record before us, however, we find that the position of Cumberland County deputy sheriff does not fall within the Branti exception for patronage based dismissals, see Branti, 445 U.S. at 518, 100 S.Ct. at 1294-95. 6 We find, therefore, that plaintiff Derrick's claim states a constitutional violation. 49 We now turn to the question of whether defendant is entitled to qualified immunity. We must decide whether it was clearly established, as of September 1, 1994, that it was unconstitutional for a sheriff to fire one of his deputies because he supported a campaign opponent. In McCloud v. Testa, we conclude[d] that it is improper to grant qualified immunity to every defendant who has taken an adverse employment action against a plaintiff occupying or previously occupying a public office that the Supreme Court or the Sixth Circuit has not yet explicitly held falls into or outside of the Branti exception. 97 F.3d at 1547. Thus, an absence of cases directly on point does not indicate that the constitutionality of a patronage based discharge has yet to be established. In McCloud, we developed a categorical approach to help establish and define which public offices fall within the Branti exception. This approach, however, will not remove all uncertainty. In connection with using these categories ... if there is any ambiguity about whether a position falls into any of them (and so also within the Branti exception), it is to be construed in favor of the governmental defendants when the position at issue is unclassified or non-merit under state law. Id. at 1557. This reflects the basic tenet of the qualified immunity doctrine, that objectively reasonable officers should not be subjected to the costs of litigation when their conduct does not violate clearly established constitutional norms. See Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818, 102 S.Ct. 2727, 2738, 73 L.Ed.2d 396 (1982). 50 Although Elrod seemingly established that low-level sheriff's department employees fall outside this exception, we held in Cagle v. Gilley, 957 F.2d 1347 (6th Cir.1992), that it was not clearly established that deputy sheriffs were protected from patronage based dismissals. Unfortunately, we granted a sheriff qualified immunity, without first determining whether there had actually been a constitutional violation. 957 F.2d at 1349. Therefore, Cagle effectively established only that in 1992 the state of the law regarding patronage dismissals of sheriffs' deputies was not clearly established. 7 In the time between Cagle and September 1, 1994, no further cases added clarity to the status of deputy sheriffs. The split among circuits regarding this issue also indicates the unsettled nature of the law regarding the status of deputy sheriffs. Id. For these reasons, we agree with the District Court that defendant is entitled to qualified immunity in this case. We affirm its grant of summary judgment in favor of defendant in his individual capacity and against plaintiff Derrick. 51 Although the District Court's memorandum and order granted summary judgment in favor of defendant in his individual and official capacities, the only reason it provided was its conclusion that defendant was entitled to qualified immunity. Qualified immunity shields defendant from personal liability, but it does not shield him from the claims brought against him in his official capacity. The Supreme Court, in Kentucky v. Graham, 473 U.S. 159, 105 S.Ct. 3099, 87 L.Ed.2d 114 (1985), explained this difference between § 1983 claims brought against an official in his individual and official capacities: 52 When it comes to defenses to liability, an official in a personal-capacity action may, depending on his position, be able to assert personal immunity defenses, such as objectively reasonable reliance on existing law. In an official capacity action, these defenses are unavailable. The only immunities that can be claimed in an official-capacity action are forms of sovereign immunity that the entity, qua entity, may possess, such as the Eleventh Amendment. 53 473 U.S. at 166-67, 105 S.Ct. at 3105-06 (citations omitted). Thus, plaintiff Derrick's official-capacity claim against defendant survives the grant of qualified immunity that disposed of his individual-capacity claim against defendant. Therefore, with respect to Derrick's claim against defendant in his official capacity, we reverse the grant of summary judgment in favor of defendant in his official capacity, and against plaintiff Derrick. 54 Neither the District Court nor either of the parties on appeal has discussed whether plaintiff Derrick's claim successfully states a § 1983 claim against Sheriff Tollett in his official capacity, or whether this claim is barred by some form of sovereign immunity. Therefore, we remand plaintiff Derrick's case to the District Court for consideration of his claim against defendant in his official capacity.