NLRB Must Face Agency Lawyer’s Free Speech Claim, Judge Says (1)

A federal judge rejected the National Labor Relations Board’s request to throw out an agency lawyer’s free speech lawsuit related to her environmental advocacy.

Carolyn McConnell, a field attorney in the NLRB’s Seattle region, plausibly alleged that her activism in support of a part of the North Cascades National Park was legal and the agency’s view to the contrary violated the First Amendment, Judge James Robart ruled Thursday.

The decision denying the NLRB’s motion to dismiss hands McConnell a major win in her effort to defend her ability to speak out on matters of public interest while working for the ...