Rutan v. Republican Party is a U.S. Supreme Court case. The Court finds that “promotions, transfers, and recalls after layoffs” on the basis of “political affiliation or support” are illegal. In 1980 Illinois Governor James Thompson issued an executive order that prohibited hiring new state employees for “every agency, bureau, board, or commission” subject to his control. The order emphasized that “no exceptions are permitted” and that permissions for hiring must be obtained through a special agency created by the Governor for this purpose. This action affected nearly 60,000 state positions. Governor Thompson used the system in order to screen the candidates for the state employee positions and limit the […]
