Opinion ID: 791265
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Simasko's Failure to Prohibit His Brother's Support of Kelly's Opponent

Text: 19 Simasko also claims that his constructive discharge was a result of his brother's public support for Kelly's opponent in the judicial race, in violation of Simasko's First Amendment right to freedom of association. This contention fails upon close examination of the nature of the claim. Simasko does not claim that he was fired because he and his brother were brothers, something obviously not within Simasko's power to change. Instead, the claim is perforce that Simasko was fired because of his brotherly association with a supporter of Kelly's opponent. To the extent that this claim implicates Simasko's First Amendment rights (as opposed to those of his brother), the claim is properly characterized as one based on Simasko's association (perhaps even a refusal to break off an association) with the supporter of a political opponent. Such an association is covered by the Elrod/Branti exception. 20 In Sowards v. Loudon County, 203 F.3d 426 (6th Cir.2000), this court indicated, albeit in dictum, that the Elrod/Branti exception permits hiring authorities to terminate policymaking or confidential employees for their association with political opponents without violating the First Amendment. In Sowards, a jailer alleged that she was terminated after her husband ran and lost the election for sheriff of the county, and that the termination violated her First Amendment rights to intimate and political association. Id. at 432. The defendants in the case claimed that, even if the jailer were able to show that she was fired because of her political association with her husband, the termination was justified because the position of jailer should be considered a policymaking position for which political affiliation is an appropriate consideration. Id. at 435. Although the court found that the position of jailer was not a policymaking position, id. at 438, we indicated that if an employee is in a policymaking position, then political affiliation is an appropriate consideration for that position and a public employee may be dismissed without violating the First Amendment. Id. at 436. Accordingly, because Simasko is a policymaking employee, the defendants' constructive discharge of Simasko based on Simasko's affiliation with his brother's political activities did not violate the Constitution. 21 Furthermore, Simasko's termination was based not just on his affiliation with his brother, but also on Simasko's failure even to attempt to curtail his brother's public support of Kelly's opponent in the campaign. The failure of Simasko to comply with the political wishes of Kelly, his supervisor, and his failure to try to prevent his brother from supporting a candidate opposed by George could have caused George to question Simasko's loyalty and, pursuant to the Elrod/Branti exception, was a valid reason for which to terminate Simasko. Accordingly, there was no constitutional violation in this case.