High Court Reverses Finding That Public Workers Have 'Property Interest' in Ongoing Employment

The Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected the contention that a state civil service law creates a constitutionally protected property interest in continued public employment and held that a lower court erred in finding the statutory framework for termination violated due process. What's more, the trial court also misapplied the burden of proof and improperly reweighed the evidence when it reversed the decision of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services upholding the termination of Michael J. Turner. Turner, a power plant maintenance technician for the Grand River Dam Authority, suffer...