From Monday's decision by Sixth Circuit Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton, joined by Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, in DeLanis v. Metro. Gov't of Nashville & Davidson County:

A Nashville city councilman threatened to withdraw business from a law firm, which served as the city's outside counsel, due to the position one of its attorneys took as the chair of the county election commission on a tax referendum. When the attorney declined the law firm's request that he oppose the referendum, the firm fired him. The attorney sued the council member and the law firm for retaliating against his federal free-speech rights, namely his support of the tax-repeal referendum in his capacity as the county election chair….

The law firm is eligible for qualified immunity in view of the government work it performed.

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