Dissenters’ Digest takes a look back at the week’s stories covering whistleblowers, watchdogs, and government accountability. Look for it every Saturday evening at  http://www.mspbwatch.net/digest. Federal Judge Strikes Down NDAA’s Indefinite Detention Provision: A federal judge in Brooklyn, New York struck down the indefinite detention provision of the National Defense Authorization Act, saying it  constitutes an unconstitutional infringement on the First Amendment . [...]

MSPB may harm whistleblowers — and OSC — with a  proposed rulemaking project based on a legislative move struck by two unions in 1994. At issue are a statute and a regulation: 5 U.S.C. 7121(g) and 5 C.F.R. 1209.2.  Section 7121(g) requires employees fighting an agency action to choose between a union grievance, an MSPB direct appeal, [...]

The following minority report has been posted on  May 14, 2012 in response to  section 118 of S. 743 and H.R. 3289, the  Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 . Why the Merit Systems Protection Board Should Not Be Granted Summary Judgment Powers What is Summary Judgment? Summary judgment is a complicated legal process used to cut short proceedings in judicial trials. According [...]

Dissenters’ Digest takes a look back at the week’s stories covering whistleblowers, watchdogs, and government accountability. Look for it every Saturday evening at  http://www.mspbwatch.net/digest. Senate Passes the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012: In a rare show of unanimity, the Senate passed S. 743, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, this week, the latest attempt to update the Whistleblower Protection Act [...]

Almost a week ago,  MSPB Watch and fellow advocate site  Whistlewatch.org broke the news that the Department of Health and Human Services has failed to submit annual reports to Congress about whistleblower retaliation and discrimination data, each and every year since passage of the No FEAR Act of 2002. But it’s been a week and the top [...]

Dissenters’ Digest takes a look back at the week’s stories covering whistleblowers, watchdogs, and government accountability. Look for it every Saturday evening at  http://www.mspbwatch.net/digest. Torture is Back in the News: The Government Accountability Project calls for the prosecution of  admitted CIA torturer Jose Rodriguez, who recently crowed about destroying 92 video tapes of torture footage in a new book. Separately, Rodriguez [...]

Dissenters’ Digest takes a look back at the week’s stories covering whistleblowers, watchdogs, and government accountability. Look for it every Saturday evening at  http://www.mspbwatch.net/digest. Congress Troubled by Suspicious Death of Russian Whistleblower : Congress seeks to use legislative authority to punish Russian officials allegedly involved in the  suspicious 2009 death of Russian whistle-blower and lawyer Sergei Magnitsky , according to the The Hill. [...]

Dissenters’ Digest takes a look back at the week’s stories covering whistleblowers, watchdogs, and government accountability. Look for it every Saturday evening at  http://www.mspbwatch.net/digest. Justice Department Withheld Evidence of Flawed Forensic Procedures Used in Criminal Cases in the 1990′s: The Washington Post reports that the Department of Justice failed to notify defendants or their attorneys of possibly exculpatory evidence of [...]

Statement of the Problem The Office of Special Counsel interprets 5 U.S.C. § 1214, the statute dealing with its investigation of  prohibited personnel practices (PPPs), in a way that deprives employees of protection from PPPs, limits its administrative flexibility, engenders a culture of retaliation and lawbreaking in the federal government, violates reporting requirements, and denies the public the right [...]

Dissenters’ Digest takes a look back at the week’s stories covering whistleblowers, watchdogs, and government accountability. Look for it every Saturday evening at  http://www.mspbwatch.net/digest. Foreign Press Covers Obama’s War on Whistleblowers : A  Guardian (UK) article covers recent prosecutions of whistleblowers by the Obama Administration and discusses the general state of free speech and dissent during Obama’s reign. Separately, Russia Today  interviews [...]

Dissenters’ Digest takes a look back at the week’s stories covering whistleblowers, watchdogs, and government accountability. Look for it every Saturday evening at  http://www.mspbwatch.net/digest. Justice Department Indicts Former CIA Officer, Whistleblower, and Torture Opponent: NPR reports that John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer and outspoken torture opponent, has been charged with violating the Espionage Act by sharing secret information with [...]