When you work for the government, your employer's ability to restrict what you say is more -- how to say it? -- restricted, thanks to the First Amendment. Not that there's anything wrong with that. "[T]he general public has an interest in the government working transparently, and punishing employees for speech may have adverse effects such as suppressing useful speech or deterring whistle-blowing," Matthew Feda notes in the most recent issue of the ISBA Labor and Employment newsletter.

But the law of public employee speech is evolving, especially in federal circuits like our own seventh. In his article, Feda discusses trends in the cases and offers "practice advice for attorneys, including when and how to bring a claim."