Opinion ID: 365900
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Progeny

Text: 18 Courts and commentators have read Mr. Justice Stewart's narrow position as the Court's holding in Elrod. See Ramey v. Harber, 589 F.2d 753, 757 & nn. 2, 3 (4th Cir. 1978), Aff'g in part and rev'g in part, 431 F.Supp. 657 (W.D.Va.1977), Cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 99 S.Ct. 2823, 61 L.Ed.2d 275 (1979); Comment, Patronage And The First Amendment After Elrod v. Burns, 78 Colum.L.Rev. 468, 473 n. 55 (1978). See generally Marks v. United States, 430 U.S. 188, 193, 97 S.Ct. 990, 993, 51 L.Ed.2d 260 (1977) (When a fragmented Court decides a case and no single rationale explaining the result enjoys the assent of five Justices, 'the holding of the Court may be viewed as that position taken by those Members who concurred in the judgments on the narrowest grounds . . . .' ). Accordingly, most judicial interpretations of Elrod have found that a Policymaking, confidential employee can be discharged from a job that he is satisfactorily performing upon the sole ground of his political beliefs. See, e. g. Johnson v. Bergland, 586 F.2d 993, 995 (4th Cir. 1978); McCollum v. Stahl, 579 F.2d 869, 872 (4th Cir. 1978), Cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 99 S.Ct. 1225, 59 L.Ed.2d 460 (1979); Alfaro de Quevedo v. de Jesus Schuck, 556 F.2d 591 (1st Cir. 1977); Norbeck v. Davenport Community School District, 545 F.2d 63, 67 (8th Cir. 1976), Cert. denied, 431 U.S. 917, 97 S.Ct. 2179, 53 L.Ed.2d 227 (1977); Besig v. Friend, 460 F.Supp. 134, 139 (N.D.Cal.1978); Finkel v. Branti, 457 F.Supp. 1284, 1289 (S.D.N.Y.1978), Aff'd, 598 F.2d 609 (2d Cir. 1979) Cert. granted, --- U.S. ----, 99 S.Ct. 3095, 61 L.Ed.2d --- (1979); Miller v. Board of Education, 450 F.Supp. 106, 109 (S.D.W.Va.1978); Tanner v. McCall, 441 F.Supp. 503, 512 (M.D.Fla.1977). 19 Therefore, if appellant Stegmaier is properly classified as a policymaking, confidential employee, the district court was correct in finding that she was entitled to no relief.