Court Opinion

ID: 2964780
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:31:00.597059+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:43:01.527824
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
                                 ____________________

          No. 96-1701

                                MAGALY ROLDAN-PLUMEY,

                                Plaintiff - Appellant,

                                          v.

                               HIRAM E. CEREZO-SUAREZ,
                          PERSONALLY AND AS COMMISSIONER FOR
                              MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, ET AL.,

                               Defendants - Appellees.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                           FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO

                  [Hon. Juan M. P rez-Gim nez, U.S. District Judge]
                                               ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                               Torruella, Chief Judge,
                                          ___________

                           Selya and Stahl, Circuit Judges.
                                            ______________

                                _____________________

               Carlos A.  del Valle-Cruz,  with whom Juan  Rafael Gonz lez-
               _________________________             ______________________
          Mu oz  and Gonz lez  Mu oz &  Qui onez Tridas  were on  brief for
          _____      __________________________________
          appellant.
               Sylvia    Roger-Stefani,   Assistant    Solicitor   General,
               _______________________
          Department  of Justice,  with  whom  Carlos Lugo-Fiol,  Solicitor
                                               ________________
          General and Edda Serrano-Blasini, Deputy Solicitor General,  were
                      ____________________
          on brief for appellees.

                                 ____________________

                                     June 4, 1997
                                 ____________________

                    TORRUELLA,  Chief Judge.   On  May 4,  1994, Plaintiff-
                    TORRUELLA,  Chief Judge.
                                ___________

          Appellant  Magaly Rold n-Plumey  ("Rold n") brought  this Section

          1983  suit  against   Defendants-Appellees  Hiram   Cerezo-Su rez

          ("Cerezo"),  Commissioner of Municipal  Affairs for  Puerto Rico,

          and Sandra Valent n ("Valent n"),  Director of the Legal Division

          of the  Office of the Commissioner of Municipal Affairs ("OCMA"),

          in their individual  and official capacities.   The suit  alleged

          that appellees, in violation  of Rold n's First Amendment rights,

          dismissed  her  from  her  position  of  Hearing  Examiner  (also

          referred  to  as  Examining  Officer) because  of  her  political

          beliefs.    The  district  court granted  appellees'  motion  for

          summary  judgment on  the  ground that  party  affiliation is  an

          appropriate  requirement  for the  effective  performance of  the

          position of  Hearing Examiner  and, consequently, that  appellees

          were  entitled to dismiss Rold n  on those grounds.   See Opinion
                                                                ___

          and Order, March 5, 1996, at 10.  Having ruled on the merits, the

          district  court did  not address,  inter alia,  whether appellees
                                             __________

          were entitled to qualified immunity.

                    In  contrast to  the  lower  court,  we find  that  the

          inherent   duties  of   Rold n's  position  do   not  demonstrate

          policymaking attributes sufficient to subject Rold n to discharge

          based  on her  political  beliefs and,  accordingly, reverse  the

          entry of summary judgment.   Moreover, having found cause  to set

          aside the  judgment on the merits, we address appellees' argument

          that they are entitled to qualified immunity and find it wanting.

                                         -2-

                                      BACKGROUND
                                      BACKGROUND

                    On  March  1, 1992,  Rold n  accepted  the position  of

          Hearing Examiner with the Office of the Commissioner of Municipal

          Affairs.  The OCMA is the main regulatory agency of Puerto Rico's

          municipalities and is charged with uncovering, investigating, and

          reporting   to  municipal   mayors  any  irregularities   in  the

          municipalities'  management.   P.R.  Laws  Ann. tit.  21,    4909

          (1995).  The office is further obligated to provide various forms

          of "technical  and professional assistance to  the municipalities

          relating  to  their organization,  administration,  functions and

          operation."    Id.      4902.    The   Commissioner  developed  a
                         ___

          confidential and trust employee plan under which employees in the

          OCMA were classified  in accordance with  the Puerto Rico  Public

          Service Personnel Act, P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 3,   1301 et seq.  The
                                                               _______

          plan, developed  by Cerezo's predecessor as  Commissioner, Ismael

          Pag n-Colberg, designated the position  of "examining officer" as

          a trust position.  According to this document, the OCMA positions

          designated as  trust or  confidence positions were  only "[t]hose

          positions whose holders intervene or collaborate substantially in

          the formulation of public policy, which directly advise or render

          direct  services  to  the  Commissioner  of  the  Office  of  the

          Commissioner  of Municipal Affairs."   Def. Exh. IV  to Motion to

          Summary Judgment.

                    The  classification,   or  job  description,   for  the

          position of "Examining Officer"  sets forth the position's duties

          as follows:

                                         -3-

                    DUTIES OF POSITION

                    Professional and technical work that requires
                    great  knowledge  of the  principles  and the
                    practice  of  law and  the ability  to direct
                    research    procedures    leading    to    an
                    adjudicative determination.

                    1.   Holds  administrative hearings  required
                         by the Autonomous Municipalities Act and
                         any other necessary  one[s] to carry out
                         the duties assigned to the Commissioner.
                         Regulates  the   procedures  during  the
                         [performance] of the same.

                    2.   Takes  oaths  and  declarations,  issues
                         summons for the appearance  of witnesses
                         and the filing of reports, documents and
                         other evidence necessary to solve cases.

                    3.   Evaluates   evidence    and   comes   to
                         conclusions of facts and law.

                    4.   Carries  out  legal   studies  for   the
                         solution of cases.

                    5.   Issues reports with his  conclusions and
                         recommendations to the Commissioner.

                    6.   Carries   out  other   assigned  related
                         duties.

          Def. Exh. V to Motion for Summary Judgment.

                    On November  4,  1992, Pedro  Rossell  ("Rossell "),  a

          member  of  the  New   Progressive  Party  ("NPP"),  was  elected

          governor.  In March  1993, Rossell  appointed Cerezo Commissioner

          of  Municipal Affairs.  In April  1993, Cerezo appointed Valent n

          to head the Legal  Division of the OCMA.  On  May 6, 1994, Rold n

          received a dismissal letter effective that same date.

                                  STANDARD OF REVIEW
                                  STANDARD OF REVIEW

                    We  review  the  grant  of summary  judgment  de  novo,
                                                                  ________

          viewing  the facts, and drawing all reasonable inferences, in the

                                         -4-

          light  most  favorable  to   the  non-movant,  here  Rold n,  and

          affirming summary judgment only "if  no genuine issue of material

          fact exists."   O'Connor v.  Steeves, 994 F.2d  905, 906-07  (1st
                          ________     _______

          Cir. 1993).

                                      DISCUSSION
                                      DISCUSSION

          I.        Political Discharge Claim
          I.        Political Discharge Claim

                    We  turn  first to  the grounds  on which  the district

          court granted summary judgment to Cerezo and Valent n.  More than

          twenty  years ago,  a plurality  of the  Supreme Court  held that

          governmental employers  may not discharge an  employee because of

          her political affiliation without showing a governmental interest

          sufficiently  vital to  outweigh  the employee's  First Amendment

          right to association.   Elrod v. Burns, 427 U.S. 347, 355-56, 362
                                  _____    _____

          (1976).   The plurality  found that the  government's interest in

          effective  implementation of  its  policies can  be achieved  "by

          limiting patronage dismissals to policymaking positions."  Id. at
                                                                     ___

          372.  Justice Stewart's concurrence gave the Court a majority for

          the proposition that  nonpolicymaking, nonconfidential  employees

          should not be discharged on the basis of their political beliefs.

          Id. at 374-75 (Stewart, J., concurring in the judgment).
          ___

                    The Court next attempted to define the contours  of the

          prohibition on political  discharge in Branti v. Finkel, 445 U.S.
                                                 ______    ______

          507 (1980).   Instead  of applying Elrod's  policymaking inquiry,
                                             _____

          the Branti Court relied upon a finding that political affiliation
              ______

          is not  an appropriate requirement for  the effective performance

          of the position  of assistant  public defender.   Id. at  518-19.
                                                            ___

                                         -5-

          The  Branti Court  again,  however,  imposed  the burden  on  the
               ______

          governmental body  seeking dismissal:   "[U]nless  the government

          can demonstrate 'an  overriding interest'  'of vital  importance'

          requiring that a person's private beliefs conform to those of the

          hiring  authority,  his  beliefs  cannot be  the  sole  basis for

          depriving  him of  continued public  employment."  Id.  at 515-16
                                                             ___

          (citations omitted).  Of fundamental importance  is the idea that

          "conditioning continued public employment on an employee's having

          obtained support  from a particular political  party violates the

          First  Amendment   because  of  'the  coercion   of  belief  that

          necessarily flows from the knowledge that one must have a sponsor

          in the dominant  party in order to retain one's  job.'"  Rutan v.
                                                                   _____

          Republican Party  of Illinois,  497 U.S.  62, 70 (1990)  (quoting
          _____________________________

          Branti, 445 U.S. at 516).
          ______

                    More  recently,   in  Rutan  v.  Republican   Party  of
                                          _____      ______________________

          Illinois,  the  Court  extended  the reach  of  the  Elrod-Branti
          ________                                             _____ ______

          doctrine  to  politically  motivated  promotions,  transfers, and

          recalls.  Rutan, 497 U.S. at  70.  The Court reaffirmed the heavy
                    _____

          burden on government employers to show that the use of "patronage

          practices are  narrowly  tailored  to  further  vital  government

          interests."  Id. at 74.  The Court reiterated that
                       ___

                    [a]   government's   interest   in   securing
                    effective   employees   can    be   met    by
                    discharging, demoting,  or transferring staff
                    members   whose   work  is   deficient.     A
                    government's  interest in  securing employees
                    who  will loyally implement  its policies can
                    be   adequately   served   by   choosing   or
                    dismissing  certain  high-level employees  on
                    the basis of their political views.

                                         -6-

          Id.      Unless  a   position   is  one   that   requires  policy
          ___

          implementation,  or  is  confidential  in nature  (a  claim  that

          appellees here  do  not make  and  to which  we need  not  allude

          hereafter),  a  government  employer  must  rely  on  traditional

          discharge criteria.

                    Based on  this case law,  this circuit has  developed a

          two-part test  for discerning  when discharge based  on political

          affiliation is permissible.   First, we inquire into  whether the

          discharging agency's functions entail "'decision making on issues

          where  there is room for political disagreement on goals or their

          implementation.'"   O'Connor,  994 F.2d  at 910  (quoting Jim nez
                              ________                              _______

          Fuentes  v. Torres  Gaztambide,  807 F.2d  236, 241-42  (1st Cir.
          _______     __________________

          1986)).    If so,  we  next  determine  "whether  the  particular

          responsibilities   of  the   plaintiff's  position,   within  the

          department or agency, resemble  those of a policymaker, privy  to

          confidential information,  a communicator,  or some  other office

          holder  whose  function is  such  that  party  affiliation is  an

          equally  appropriate  requirement  for  continued  tenure."   Id.
                                                                        ___

          (internal quotation marks omitted); see also Jim nez Fuentes, 807
                                              ________ _______________

          F.2d at  241-42.  In reviewing this  second prong, we have looked

          to "relative pay, technical  competence, power to control others,

          authority  to   speak  in   the  name  of   policymakers,  public

          perception,  influence   on   programs,  contact   with   elected

          officials, and responsiveness to partisan  politics and political

          leaders."  O'Connor, 994 F.2d at 910.
                     ________

                    A.   Agency functions
                    A.   Agency functions

                                         -7-

                    In  her opposition  to  appellees'  motion for  summary

          judgment, Rold n conceded that OCMA  is an agency whose functions

          require  "'decision making  on  issues where  there  is room  for

          political disagreement  on goals or their  implementation.'"  Id.
                                                                        ___

          For the purposes of this appeal, therefore, we consider the first

          prong satisfied.

                    B.   Whether the position involves policymaking
                    B.   Whether the position involves policymaking

                    Under  the second  prong, the  question is  whether the

          responsibilities of the position  of Hearing Examiner resemble "a

          policymaker, a privy to confidential information, a communicator,

          or some other  office holder  whose function is  such that  party

          affiliation  is an  equally  appropriate requirement."    Jim nez
                                                                    _______

          Fuentes, 807  F.2d at 242.   We have held  time and again  that a
          _______

          court,  in  making this  determination, is  to  look only  to the

          duties inherent to the position and is not to consider the actual

          functions  of either past or present officeholders.  See id.; see
                                                               ___ ___  ___

          also O'Connor, 994 F.2d  at 911 ("[T]he analysis must  focus upon
          ____ ________

          the  'powers  inherent  in a  given  office,  as  opposed to  the

          functions performed by a  particular occupant of that office.'");

          Cordero  v. Jes s-M ndez, 867 F.2d  1, 9 (1st  Cir. 1989); Romero
          _______     ____________                                   ______

          Feliciano v. Torres Gaztambide, 836 F.2d 1, 3 (1st Cir. 1987); De
          _________    _________________                                 __

          Abadia  v. Izquierdo Mora, 792  F.2d 1187, 1192  (1st Cir. 1986).
          ______     ______________

          We consider the  job description  to be the  best, and  sometimes

          dispositive,  source  for  determining  the  position's  inherent

          functions.  See Ortiz Pi ero v. Rivera Arroyo, 84 F.3d 7, 13 (1st
                      ___ ____________    _____________

          Cir. 1996)  (stating that  "written, signed job  descriptions may

                                         -8-

          provide  highly probative  evidence  as  to the  responsibilities

          inherent in a particular  government position, and may even prove

          dispositive"); Romero Feliciano, 836  F.2d at 3 (recognizing that
                         ________________

          "we  have considered the OP-16  dispositive in .  . . Puerto Rico

          political   discrimination  cases");   M ndez  Palou   v.  Rohena
                                                 _____________       ______

          Betancourt,  813  F.2d  1255,  1260 (1st  Cir.  1987)  ("Whenever
          __________

          possible, we will  rely upon  this document  because it  contains

          precisely  the  information  we need  concerning  the  position's

          inherent powers . . . .").

                    The  Hearing  Examiner  job  description  details  five

          specific responsibilities and designates a further responsibility

          to "carr[y] out other  assigned related duties."  The  five well-

          defined responsibilities make clear  that the position of Hearing

          Examiner leaves  little room for free-ranging actions independent

          of their limited scope.  The narrow duties require application of

          technical  and  professional  skills   in  evaluating  facts  and

          researching  law.  They are not  broad and open-ended, and do not

          leave   room    for   discretionary   policymaking    or   policy

          implementation.  Nor  are they "hazily  defined."  See Alfaro  de
                                                             ___ __________

          Quevedo v. De  Jes s Schuck, 556  F.2d 591, 593 (1st  Cir. 1977).
          _______    ________________

          The  narrowly circumscribed  duties permit  the  officeholder the

          opportunity to  identify and  investigate irregularities,  but do

          not convey  power or discretion to take any action as a result of

          these findings.  Indeed, in their brief, appellees recognize that

          "plaintiff's position as described  in her job description seemed

                                         -9-

          to involve technical and  professional skills."  Appellees' Brief

          at 20.

                    In addition, the limited nature of the position differs

          substantially  from most  of those  positions for  which  we have

          previously  found  political  affiliation  to  be  an appropriate

          requirement.   For instance,  in  Agosto-de-Feliciano v.  Aponte-
                                            ___________________     _______

          Roque,  889 F.2d  1209, 1213  (1st Cir.  1989), we  reviewed four
          _____

          positions  to   determine   the  appropriateness   of   political

          affiliation.   The job description  of the first  position listed

          twenty-six  responsibilities   including  supervising  employees,

          representing  the  regional  director  at  public  meetings,  and

          overseeing the  respective office  when the director  was absent.

          Id.   The second position  under review required the officeholder
          ___

          to  act as a liaison  between the Department  of Public Education

          and private  schools, to  coordinate a  teaching  program in  the

          project school, and  to direct a  regionwide committee on  school

          organization.   Id.  The third position consisted of twenty-three
                          ___

          responsibilities,  requiring the  officeholder  to survey  needs,

          develop  work  plans,  evaluate  curricula  and  training, manage

          vocational education, and  supervise student organizations.   Id.
                                                                        ___

          The  position  also  included   a  supervisory  component.    Id.
                                                                        ___

          Finally,  the  job description  for  the  fourth position  listed

          twenty-one    broadly    stated    duties,    including    budget

          administration, oversight of  programs relating to school  needs,

          transportation,   and   student  services,   and   evaluation  of

          personnel.   Id. at  1214-15.  These  high-level positions,  with
                       ___

                                         -10-

          their  numerous,  loosely defined  responsibilities,  allowed the

          officeholders considerable power and discretion in the management

          of  Puerto  Rico's  Department   of  Education.    They  included

          oversight,  evaluation,  and  revision  of programs  as  well  as

          supervision of personnel.  Some  allowed the officeholder to  act

          in  place  of  department  heads.    The  circumscribed  list  of

          responsibilities of  the position of Hearing  Examiner grants the

          officeholder no such broadly defined powers.

                    In O'Connor v.  Steeves, we found that  the position of
                       ________     _______

          superintendent,  which gave  the officeholder  responsibility for

          the  administration of  all  departments of  city government  and

          required  policymaking,  acting  as  a  city  representative, and

          supervising personnel, all  duties absent here, was one for which

          political   affiliation   was   an   appropriate   consideration.

          O'Connor, 994 F.2d at 911.
          ________

                    In the seminal  political discrimination case,  Jim nez
                                                                    _______

          Fuentes  v. Torres Gaztambide, 807  F.2d 236 (1st  Cir. 1986) (en
          _______     _________________

          banc),  this court reviewed the claims of plaintiffs who had been

          discharged  from their  positions  as Regional  Directors of  the

          Puerto Rico Urban  Development and Housing  Corporation ("CRUV"),

          attached  to the  Department  of Housing  of the  Commonwealth of

          Puerto Rico.   Id. at 237-38.   Approximately 3,000 of the  3,600
                         ___

          CRUV  employees served under the disputed positions.  Id. at 243.
                                                                ___

          The  job  descriptions  consisted  of  twenty  duties,  including

          directing, planning, and  supervising the operational  activities

          of the entire region, developing and implementing new programs or

                                         -11-

          discerning  ways   to  improve  existing  programs,   serving  as

          spokesperson  for  the  Executive and  Associate  Directors,  and

          controlling  the  region's budget,  all  duties  of a  high-level

          policymaker.   Id. at 244;  see also Raffucci  Alvarado v. Zayas,
                         ___          ________ __________________    _____

          816  F.2d 818, 821-22 (1st Cir. 1987) (finding position of Social

          Services Regional Director  sufficiently entailed policymaking to

          render political affiliation relevant).

                    The position  at issue here is  readily distinguishable

          from those at issue in Jim nez Fuentes and O'Connor, and  is more
                                 _______________     ________

          akin to the position  of Internal Auditor, which we  addressed in

          Cordero v.  Jes s-M ndez,  867  F.2d  1 (1st  Cir.  1989).    The
          _______     ____________

          position of Internal Auditor did not require the  officeholder to

          engage in  policymaking decisions, but instead  required that the

          auditor investigate  the financial records of  a municipality and

          make  a report to  the Mayor  and Comptroller.   Id. at  18.  The
                                                           ___

          internal  auditor had no authority to correct the mistakes he was

          charged to investigate.  Id.
                                   ___

                    As in  Cordero, the position at issue here is that of a
                           _______

          mere  "technocrat."  Id.; see also De Choudens v. Government Dev.
                               ___  ________ ___________    _______________

          Bank of Puerto Rico, 801 F.2d 5, 9-10 (1st Cir. 1986).  A Hearing
          ___________________

          Examiner is charged only  with investigating and holding hearings

          into   possible  irregularities   in  municipal   functions,  and

          reporting  them to the  Commissioner, in whom  authority rests to

          take action.  Considering  these five enumerated duties, we  find

          that they require  technical and professional  skills and do  not

          provide  discretion  to  formulate  or  implement  policy.    See
                                                                        ___

                                         -12-

          generally De Choudens, 801 F.2d at 9-10.  Accordingly,  political
          _________ ___________

          affiliation is not an appropriate requirement for the position.

                    Moreover,  a review  of the  indicia we  have typically

          considered material to this determination further suggests that a

          Hearing Examiner is not  a policymaker.  With regard  to relative

          pay, the salary for Hearing Examiner is the fifth  highest of the

          13  levels on the OCMA pay scale, not including the Commissioner.

          The documents submitted  on summary judgment do not  indicate the

          number of employees filling each level of the scale.  Thus, while

          the position  is ranked  fifth,  a significant  number of  actual

          employees  may be paid more than the Hearing Examiner.  Moreover,

          the  trust  classification  is  fifth-tier,  among  eleven  trust

          positions in  the OCMA.   Although  the position  is of a  quasi-

          adjudicative  nature, it  does not  require that  an officeholder

          possess  a  law  degree.   The  position  carries  no supervisory

          responsibilities.     The  duties  neither  require   any  public

          appearances nor  grant authority  to speak on  the Commissioner's

          behalf.   Contact with  elected officials  appears to  take place

          only in  the context of a hearing, and in no other context does a

          Hearing   Examiner  act   as   a  public   spokesperson  for   or

          representative of her agency.

                    Appellees   attempt  to   maneuver   around   the   job

          description's  inherent duties by  pointing to item  number 61 on

          the  job  description, claiming  that  the  possibility of  being

                              
          ____________________

          1   Item number 6  states that the  office holder "[c]arries  out
          other assigned duties."

                                         -13-

          assigned  related tasks  transforms  the position  into one  with

          broad  powers.    The  summary  judgment  record  indicates  that

          appellees  presented  two  exhibits,   in  addition  to  the  job

          description, to  support this  contention.   The first of  these,

          Exhibit VI, appears to be a listing of correspondence received by

          the  Office  of  Legal  Affairs  containing  inquiries  regarding

          various  municipal concerns.   These  inquiries were  assigned to

          Rold n for resolution.  The  last date on which any of  the tasks

          on this list were assigned to  Rold n is September 24, 1992.  The

          other exhibit, Exhibit VII,  suggests that, as of July  28, 1992,

          Rold n was assigned by Cerezo's predecessor to monitor the status

          of amendments to the Autonomous Municipalities Act.  We note that

          appellees did  not argue  to the  district court,  as they do  on

          appeal,  that the duties  set forth in  Exhibits VI  and VII were

          assigned as "other [] related duties" pursuant to item six of the

          job  description, and thus fall  within the scope  of the court's

          analysis  of  "inherent  duties."     Nevertheless,  because  the

          district court took into  consideration the documents in Exhibits

          VI and VII, we address appellees' contention here.

                    In reviewing the nature of the tasks assigned to Rold n

          by Cerezo's  predecessor,  it  is  apparent that  they  were  not

          related to  the inherent  duties of  Hearing Examiner.   Instead,

          these exhibits are of the very type we have consistently held are

          not  to be  considered in  the process  of determining  whether a

          position  entails  policymaking.   We look  only to  the inherent

          duties  of  the position  under review  and  do not  consider the

                                         -14-

          actual  tasks performed by a  present or past  officeholder.  See
                                                                        ___

          O'Connor, 994 F.2d at 911; Jim nez Fuentes, 807 F.2d at 242.  The
          ________                   _______________

          inherent   duties  of   a   Hearing  Examiner   relate  only   to

          investigating and administering hearings regarding irregularities

          and  do  not  encompass  providing legal  advice,  or  analyzing,

          developing, or  advising the  Commissioner on proposed  or actual

          legislation.   We  certainly cannot  allow a  catch-all provision

          such as that found in  Item 6 to convert all assigned  tasks into
                                                   ___

          inherent  duties.   We  conclude that  the  duties set  forth  in

          Exhibits VI and  VII, which  were assigned to  Rold n during  her

          tenure  as a  Hearing  Examiner, are  not  tasks related  to  her

          position and thus cannot be properly characterized as assigned in

          accordance  with item number 6.  They are actual duties performed

          by a past officeholder, and not inherent duties.

                    We  recognize that,  in past  cases, we have  granted a

          modicum of deference to the Puerto Rico legislature's designation

          of  a particular  position as  "trust"  or "confidential."   See,
                                                                       ___

          e.g.,   Figueroa-Rodr guez v.  L pez-Rivera, 878 F.2d  1478, 1481
          ____    __________________     ____________

          (1st Cir. 1989); Juarbe-Angueira  v. Arias, 831 F.2d 11,  14 (1st
                           _______________     _____

          Cir. 1987); Raffucci Alvarado, 816  F.2d at 822; Jim nez Fuentes,
                      _________________                    _______________

          807 F.2d at 246.  We accorded deference because

                    (a)  Puerto Rico's  own civil  service system
                    permits  a fairly  small number  of positions
                    (no more than 25 per agency) to be classified
                    as confidential (i.e., potentially subject to
                                     ____
                    politically-based discharge),  P.R. Laws Ann.
                    tit. 3,    1351 (1978 & Supp.  1987); (b) the
                    personnel law bases  the classification of  a
                    confidential position on criteria  similar to
                    those   enumerated   in  Elrod   and  Branti,
                                             _____        ______
                    (whether  the  job  involves "formulation  of

                                         -15-

                    public  policy," P.R.  Laws  Ann.  tit. 3,   
                    1350,  or  "direct  service  to  the  head or
                    subhead of  the agency  which require  a high
                    degree  of  personal  trust," P.R.  Personnel
                    Bylaws:     Areas  Essential  to   the  Merit
                    Principle,      5.2  (1976));   and  (c)  the
                    legislators   and  administrators   are  more
                    familiar  with the  issues and  subjects that
                    potentially may  affix a particular  job at a
                    particular time with a "political charge."

          Figueroa-Rodr guez, 878  F.2d at 1481.   Nevertheless, we decline
          __________________

          to  grant deference to the  designation of Hearing  Examiner as a

          "confidential" position  here, when the plan  that designated the

          position   as  confidential  took  into  consideration  the  five

          specific  duties discussed  above and  merely suggested  that the

          Hearing Examiner "has broad  and considerable freedom to exercise

          initiative  and his own judgment in the performance of his work."

          See Def. Exh. IV to Motion for Summary Judgment.  We have already
          ___

          considered  the job duties of  the position above  and found them

          insufficient to indicate that the position entails  policymaking.

          Having  "freedom  to  exercise .  .  .  [one's]  judgment in  the

          performance  of  [one's] work"  does  not go  beyond  our earlier

          consideration  of the  position and  does not  support appellees'

          contention  that   the  position   involves  the  use   of  broad

          discretion.  In addition,  that the same plan labels  drivers and

          at  least  two tiers  of  secretaries  as  trust or  confidential

          employees suggests that these categories are overly broad.

                    Based on the summary judgment record, we hold that  the

          position  of  Hearing  Examiner  is   not  one  for  which  party

          affiliation is an appropriate requirement.

          II.       Qualified Immunity
          II.       Qualified Immunity

                                         -16-

                    In their request for  summary judgment below, appellees

          contended,  as they  do  on appeal,  that  they are  entitled  to

          summary  judgment  on  the  basis  of  qualified  immunity.   The

          doctrine  of  qualified  immunity  protects  defendants in  their

          individual  capacities   from   liability  for   money   damages.

          "Qualified  immunity  shields  government   officials  performing

          discretionary functions  from civil  liability for money  damages

          when  their  conduct  does   not  violate  'clearly  established'

          statutory  authority   or  constitutional   rights  of   which  a

          reasonable person would have known."  Nereida-Gonz lez v. Tirado-
                                                ________________    _______

          Delgado, 990  F.2d 701, 704 (1st  Cir. 1993).  In  the context of
          _______

          political discrimination charges,  "a defendant enjoys 'qualified

          immunity'  as long as the  job in question 'potentially concerned

          matters  of partisan political  interest and involved  at least a

          modicum  of policymaking  responsibility, access  to confidential

          information,  or  official communication.'"   Figueroa-Rodr guez,
                                                        __________________

          878 F.2d at 1480  (quoting M ndez-Palou v. Rohena-Betancourt, 813
                                     ____________    _________________

          F.2d 1255, 1259 (1st Cir. 1987)).

                    In  earlier  political discrimination  cases,  we found

          defendants entitled to qualified immunity because their allegedly

          unconstitutional actions  took place prior to  the development of

          clearly established  law  in  this area.    See,  e.g.,  Nereida-
                                                      ___   ____   ________

          Gonz lez, 990 F.2d at 704 (granting defendants qualified immunity
          ________

          because  prior to  1989,  a period  that encompassed  defendants'

          allegedly  unconstitutional demotions and  transfers, it  was not

          clear  whether Elrod and Branti applied); Valiente v. Rivera, 966
                         _____     ______           ________    ______

                                         -17-

          F.2d 21, 23 (1st  Cir. 1992) (same); N  ez-Soto v.  Alvarado, 918
                                               __________     ________

          F.2d  1029 (1st  Cir.  1990)  (state  of  the  law  in  political

          discrimination  cases  was  not  clearly  established  in  1985);

          Figueroa-Rodr guez,  863 F.2d at  1040 (recognizing that although
          __________________

          Elrod and Branti clearly prohibited discharge of non-policymaking
          _____     ______

          state  employees for  partisan reasons,  this circuit had  yet to

          delineate the scope of  positions for which political affiliation

          was  appropriate); De Abadia, 792 F.2d at 1190 (noting that Elrod
                             _________                                _____

          and Branti marked a dramatic departure from prior law and further
              ______

          observing  that an  "official cannot be  expected to  predict the

          future  course of constitutional  law" (internal  quotation marks

          omitted)).  This case is different.  Appellees  discharged Rold n

          on May  6, 1994.   The  contours of  the law regarding  discharge

          based  on party affiliation grew  much clearer in  the late 1980s

          and early 1990s.  By 1993,  this circuit had decided two waves of

          political discrimination cases.  At the time appellees discharged

          Rold n, this circuit's law regarding discharge based on political

          discrimination was indeed clearly established.

                    To be sure,  the law  may still be  blurred around  the

          edges.    But this  is  not a  borderline  case.   In determining

          entitlement to  the qualified  immunity defense in  the political

          discrimination  context, we look only to the inherent duties of a

          position and  ask whether the defendant  could reasonably believe

          the  position in  question was  one that  "'potentially concerned

          matters of partisan  political interest and  involved at least  a

          modicum  of policymaking  responsibility, access  to confidential

                                         -18-

          information,  or  official communication.'"   Figueroa-Rodr guez,
                                                        __________________

          878 F.2d at 1480.  We have already found that the inherent duties

          of   the   position   were   limited   to   discrete,   technical

          responsibilities that  did  not involve  policymaking  or  policy

          implementation.     We  do  not  believe   that  appellees  could

          reasonably believe that the five specified duties of the position

          in any way provided Rold n with discretion to devise or implement

          policy.  Assigning  her with  a duty related  to those  functions
                                               _______

          would not expand her discretion in the position.

                    As discussed above,  the additional  tasks assigned  to

          Rold n,  on  which  appellees  rely, were  not  inherent  to  the

          position  nor can they be bootstrapped  into the position through

          the device  of item  number 6.   That  the defendants might  have

          considered  the additional duties  assigned to Rold n  as part of

          the duties inherent in  the position of Hearing Examiner  appears

          unreasonable based on the  record at the summary  judgment stage.

          We  note that  should  defendants muster  convincing evidence  at

          trial to show  that the  function of a  typical Hearing  Examiner
                                                  _______

          includes following the status  of legislation and providing legal

          assistance directly  to the municipalities and  that the position

          has  traditionally been  perceived as  encompassing  these tasks,

          they may or may not be entitled to qualified immunity.   They are

          not, however, entitled to  summary judgment on qualified immunity

          grounds.

                    Appellees suggest that  one of the  cases on which  the

          district  court relied, Alfaro de Quevedo v. De Jes s Schuck, 556
                                  _________________    _______________

                                         -19-

          F.2d 591 (1st Cir.  1977), is analogous  to the instant case  and

          warrants the opposite conclusion.  The district court also relied

          on  another case that  may seem to involve  a position similar to

          that  of a Hearing Examiner.  See Gonz lez-Gonz lez v. Zayas, 878
                                        ___ _________________    _____

          F.2d  1478  (1st  Cir.   1989)  (en  banc).    Those   cases  are

          distinguishable on two grounds.

                    First, the  positions at issue in  those cases involved

          considerable  discretion  to  make  and implement  policy.    The

          position  at  issue in  Alfaro de  Quevedo,  the Director  of the
                                  __________________

          Office   of   Criminal  Justice,   required,   inter   alia,  the
                                                         ____________

          officeholder to advise  "the Secretary of Justice  on all pending

          legislation affecting  crimes and  law enforcement," id.  at 593,
                                                               ___

          draw up proposed legislation, prepare an annual budget, supervise

          the  staff of  the  Office of  Criminal  Justice, and  prepare  a

          Proposed  Code of  Criminal Justice  for Puerto Rico.   Id.   The
                                                                  ___

          position "gave [the officeholder] a broad discretion to carry out

          hazily  defined purposes and to render advice to the Secretary in

          an area  that is far  from noncontroversial."   Id. at 593.   The
                                                          ___

          position at  issue in Gonz lez-Gonz lez was that  of the Director
                                _________________

          of the Board  of Appeals  of Puerto Rico's  Department of  Social

          Services.  See Gonz lez-Gonz lez, 878 F.2d at 1482.  The position
                     ___ _________________

          duties  were, among others, to  supervise 31 employees who worked

          for  the  Board,  to  establish procedures  to  hold  hearings on

          appeals, to analyze and  make final decisions on all  appeals, to

          prepare  an annual budget, and  to recommend rule  changes to the

          Directors  of  the various  Social Services  programs.   Id.   In
                                                                   ___

                                         -20-

          addition to any adjudicatory  tasks, this position entailed broad

          administrative,  policymaking, and  supervisory duties.   Id.  at
                                                                    ___

          1483.   As our analysis indicates,  the broad discretion inherent

          in these duties is not present in the case before us.

                    Second,  Gonz lez-Gonz lez was dismissed  from his post

          in  1985 and  Alfaro  de Quevedo  resigned  in  1973.   When  the

          defendants in those cases ousted the plaintiffs, the state of the

          law  with respect to political  firings was poorly  defined.  The

          state of the  law at the time  of the discharge in  this case had

          developed  markedly since  the  two opinions  relied upon  below.

          Because  we must  consider whether  appellees violated  a clearly

          established  constitutional right  of  which a  reasonable person

          would  have been aware, at the time the adverse employment action

          was taken, the outcome of  these two cases is not controlling  on

          the issue of qualified immunity.

                    We also recognize that in prior  cases, we have granted

          qualified immunity partially because a defendant might mistakenly

          rely on the position's status  as "confidential" or "trust" under

          the Puerto Rico Public Service Personnel Act, P.R. Laws Ann. tit.

          3,   1301  et seq.   See, e.g., Figueroa-Rodr guez,  878 F.2d  at
                     _______   ___  ____  __________________

          1481  ("[I]n the context of qualified immunity, the fact that the

          Commonwealth  government had  classified  a particular  job as  a

          trust or confidence position, makes it more difficult to say that

          a  Puerto Rican official should have known that the law 'clearly'

          forbids dismissal.");  Juarbe-Angueira,  831 F.2d  at 14  (same);
                                 _______________

          Raffucci  Alvarado,  816 F.2d  at 821-22  (same).   Based  on our
          __________________

                                         -21-

          discussion of the manner  in which this and other  OCMA positions

          were classified,  we do  not believe  that defendants  could have

          reasonably relied  on this designation in  determining that their

          discharge of Rold n  for political reasons was consonant with her

          constitutional rights.

                                      CONCLUSION
                                      CONCLUSION

                    For the foregoing reasons, we reverse and remand to the
                                                  reverse     remand
                                                  _______     ______

          district court for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

                                         -22-