Dallas Police Pension Withdrawal Change Upheld by Fifth Circuit

A 2017 law limiting how retired police officers and firefighters in Dallas can receive part of their pension benefits isn’t an unconstitutional taking of property, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled Monday.

Retirees don’t have a constitutionally protected property interest in a particular method for receiving retirement benefits, the court said, rejecting retiree LaDonna Degan’s challenge to a law limiting how retirees can take their benefits from the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System.

The ruling comes three months after the Supreme Court of Texas rejected Degan’s arguments under the state’s constitution.

At issue is a ...