Ninth Circuit to Weigh Legal Shield for Public Worker Testimony

A federal appeals court in San Francisco will consider a case that could determine the level of protection that police, lab technicians, and other public employees in the nation’s largest judicial region have against retaliation for rejecting orders to give what they believe is false testimony at trials.

During oral argument Wednesday, counsel for forensic scientist Greg Ohlson will try to convince the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to revive his lawsuit claiming he was forced to quit for defying orders to testify untruthfully during a criminal evidentiary hearing.

A federal judge said his testimony was protected ...