County government and sheriff
Our client was sued for violating the First Amendment rights of deputies whose positions were changed after the sheriff was elected; one of the plaintiffs had run against the sheriff, and the other had supported the deputy who ran for office. We defended the sheriff and the county against claims for violation of the First Amendment and breach of employment contracts. The Ninth Circuit held that the sheriff had the authority to establish his own support team and did not violate the first amendment rights of the deputies or breach employment contracts.