Supreme Court to consider TSA whistleblower case

by Keith Laing - 05/19/14 5:09 PM ET

The Supreme Court is planning to hear a case about a Transportation Security Administration whistleblower, according to an NPR report on Monday.

The case involves former federal air marshal Robert MacLean, who was fired from his job in 2006 after after U.S. officials discovered he was responsible for releasing information about the TSA to MSNBC in 2003.

The TSA said at the time of MacLean’s dismissal that the information he released, which occurred when the agency was reportedly considering cutting back its in-flight officer program, was confidential.

{mosads}MacLean’s attorney’s have countered that he should have been protected by the federal Whistleblower Protection Act, which protects informants about federal government malpractices from potential retribution.

The Supreme Court has now agreed to hear arguments from both sides, according to the report.

NPR said that a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in MacLean’s favor when the case was presented last year, leading to the Department of Homeland Security’s appeal to the high court that was accepted on Monday.

Tags Federal Air Marshal Service Supreme Court of the United States Transportation Security Administration United States Department of Homeland Security Whistleblower