Supreme Court To Rule On Whether DOJ Violated Whistleblower Law

Update: The state Supreme Court has ruled that the DOJ didn’t violate state law.

The state Supreme court will rule Wednesday on a case that could clarify the scope of the state’s whistleblower law.

The case centers on former state Department of Justice public integrity director Joell Schigur. In April of 2008, Schigur alerted her supervisor that the DOJ could be violating state regulations were it to follow through with plans to send state bodyguards to the Republican National Convention in Minnesota to protect then-Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.

State law allows public employees to attend political events only if they’re off duty and not on state property. The department ultimately decided not to send the bodyguards.

The following month, Schigur was demoted. Two months after that, she filed a whistleblower lawsuit challenging that decision.

“What we’re hoping for is that someone like Joell, who came forward with information that suggested that something unlawful may happen, will be protected for trying to prevent it,” said Peter Fox, Schigur’s attorney.

Fox added that Schigur’s demotion came just months after she had received a positive performance review.

DOJ attorneys argue that Schigur only expressed an opinion, and did not provide information, as the whistleblower law requires.