US Supreme Court supported the dismissed employee, who disclosed secret information

The US Supreme Court ruled that former federal marshal of aviation (security officer on board the aircraft) of the US Transportation Security Administration Robert Mac-Lin, who provided secret information to the media, did not violate the law and could claim protection as the person who committed the official exposure.

At a meeting held on Wednesday 21 in January, the court rejected, by seven votes to two, a petition from the Obama administration to reverse the decision of the appellate court in favor of McLean. The government insisted that whistleblower protection laws do not apply to employees who disclose secret security information.

Robert McLean was dismissed for telling the MSNBC reporter about the intention of the Transportation Security Administration to save budgetary funds by reducing the positions of aviation marshals serving the night flights in 2003.

McLean said he released the information to the media after department leadership failed to respond to his concerns about public safety. His revelations caused outrage among legislators and led to a hasty cancellation of the planned cuts, writes Voice of America.