Opinion ID: 483803
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Reviewability of the Basis of a Judgment of Termination

Text: 40 Daniels' counsel, at oral argument, offered a second example of how a seemingly absolute dictate in the Act can be ameliorated by the grievance board's remedial powers. Section 4011 of the Act provides that the Secretary may terminate at any time most limited term appointees. Section 4131(b)(3), likewise, quite plainly states that the termination of a limited appointment under [Sec.] 4011 of this title is not a grievable matter. Counsel contended that even though, under the terms of the Act, a judgment of termination cannot be the subject of a grievance, the evidentiary basis upon which that judgment was made can be. 12 Therefore, Daniels continues, since the grievance board may play a role with regard to judgments of termination that appear to be delegated to another decisionmaker, the grievance board was also meant to play a role with regard to tenure decisions. 13 41 Even if counsel were correct that the basis of the termination of a limited term appointee is grievable, the remedy would undoubtedly be a remand to the Secretary to reconsider the matter absent the material erroneously considered or the discrimination improperly made. In other words, the remedy would not be for the grievance board to take final action regarding the termination of the limited term appointee, but to ensure that the party authorized by statute to take such action did so on proper grounds. The analogy to Daniels' case should be clear: If Daniels felt aggrieved, and were correct, the grievance board might (and did) put her in a position where she could once again compete on even footing with her peers, but it could not take the final action of granting tenure that Sec. 3946 delegates to the Secretary upon recommendation from a tenure board.