Obama Administration Favors Stronger Whistleblower Protections for Federal Employees

In a recent article titled, “Whistleblowers May Have a Friend in the Oval Office,” the Washington Post reports that President-elect Obama and his advisers favor more robust whistleblower protections for federal employees.  According to the article, Obama has an ongoing history of supporting whistleblowers.  As an attorney, Obama represented Janet Chandler in her qui tam case against Cook County Hospital.  As a senator and presidential candidate, Obama endorsed legislation that would strengthen current whistleblower protections for federal employees.  According to the article, there is a good chance that legislation strengthening whistleblower protections for federal employees will pass in the near future.  Recently, The Employment Law Group® law firm obtained a landmark decision on the meaning of reasonable belief under the Whistleblower Protection Act in Drake v. Agency for International Development, where the Federal Circuit held that a whistleblower does not need to prove that he disclosed an actual violation of the law, but instead that he had a reasonable belief that there was a violation of a law, rule or regulation.  For more information on the Whistleblower Protection Act and our firm’s Whistleblower Practice, click here.

Tagged: Whistleblower Laws (Federal), Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA)