Pickering-Connick put to the test in New Hampshire

kathleen writes “Two Exeter High School teachers are currently under investigation for remarks they made at a March 7 candidates forum. In light of this a thoughtful article in the Portsmouth Herald discusses the history of the Pickering-Connick test.

Judges decide public employee free-speech cases on a hybrid standard, called the Pickering-Connick test. A judge is likely to rule in the employee’s favor if:
# The speech in question must involve a matter of public concern; and
# The public employee’s free-speech interest must outweigh the employer’s interest in an efficient and effective workplace.”