United States Seventh Circuit

Defendant is entitled to qualified immunity on plaintiffs' First Amendment claims under 42 U.S.C. section 1983. As a matter of law, plaintiffs' note-keeping is not constitutionally protected speech under the Pickering balancing test; defendant's interest in terminating a cause of workplace conflict outweighed plaintiffs' interest in monitoring their co-workers' time by noting their arrivals and departures.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/27/2003
• Decided 03/03/2004
• Published 03/03/2004

Judges

• RIPPLE, Circuit Judge., Before RIPPLE, DIANE P. WOOD and EVANS, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Seventh Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Mary L. Leahy (argued), Springfield, IL, for Plaintiffs-Appellees., Mary E. Welsh (argued), Office of the Attorney General, Chicago, IL, for Defendant-Appellant.