Claussen v. Pence, No. 16-1003 (7th Cir. 2016)
Annotate this CaseIndiana Code 3‐5‐9‐5, enacted in 2012, provides that “an individual is considered to have resigned as a government employee when the individual assumes an elected office of the unit that employs the individual.” A grandfather clause allowed then‐current officeholders to complete their terms before becoming subject to the law. Plaintiffs are civil servants who also serve on city and town councils that have the authority to set the annual compensation for the municipal employees (their own compensation). Most plaintiffs earn a significantly higher salary in their civil service positions than in their elected positions. They contend that if the law takes effect, they will be forced to resign from elected office. Plaintiffs argued that the law violated the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause. The Seventh Circuit affirmed dismissal of the complaint, reasoning that the law imposes a small burden on plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights, and any burden is outweighed by Indiana’s compelling interest in avoiding corruption by public officeholders and the appearance of the same. There is a clear, rational relationship between pre‐ venting actual and perceived corruption and Indiana’s treatment of municipal employees.
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