Givhan v. Western Line Consolidated School District

Givhan v. Western Line Consolidated School District (1979) addressed a teacher's right to free speech under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The Supreme Court found that public employees are permitted within specific boundaries to express their opinions, whether positive or negative, without fear of reprisal. The court identified the need to balance the teacher's constitutional right on a matter of public concern and the interests of the employer. The constitutional freedom of speech is not lost to public employees when communicating privately with their employers, the Court decided.