''Branti v. Finkel'', 445 U.S. 507 (1980), was a
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
case in which the Court held that public defenders cannot be fired solely based on their political affiliation.
Background
The two petitioners,
Republicans
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, were Assistant Public Defenders fired by a newly-elected county Public Defender affiliated with the
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY)
**Democratic Part ...
s. The decision here was based in part on the fact that the county Public Defender was not a policy-making position entitled to such a distinction among its employees, but the Court extended this doctrine in ''
Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois'' to protect government employees much more broadly.
See also
*''
Elrod v. Burns''
References
External links
*
1980 in United States case law
United States Supreme Court cases
United States Supreme Court cases of the Burger Court
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