Hatch Job: D.C. Teacher Loses Post Over Run For Office
If Tom Briggs were teaching in the suburban areas of Washington’s Virginia or Maryland, he would most likely still have a job. However, due to a little-known provision in federal law, teachers in the District of Columbia are prohibited from running for political office. As a result, Mr. Briggs, a social studies teacher at Dunbar Senior High School, has received notice that he will be terminated from his position as of April 23. In every other state, public school teachers have long been exempt from the Hatch Act, a law that limits the political activities of certain government employees. However, a revision made to the law in 1993 excluded teachers in Washington D.C. from this exemption. Some argue that this change was a technical error, but it was never rectified.
Mr. Briggs expressed his outrage at the decision to fire him, stating that teaching is not just a job for him but rather his life. He believes that the law unfairly targets teachers in Washington D.C. James A. Baxley, the deputy general counsel for the school system, explained that the district was simply following orders from the federal government. According to Mr. Baxley, the federal Office of Special Counsel, which enforces the Hatch Act, had warned Mr. Briggs during his 2000 campaign that he was in violation of the law. However, Mr. Briggs chose to continue his candidacy rather than resign from his teaching position.
While Mr. Briggs admits that he was given fair warning, he believed it was crucial to take a stand against this unjust law. Unfortunately, he ultimately lost his bid for a seat on the council against incumbent Democrat Jack Evans as a candidate for the D.C. Statehood Green Party.
The Hatch Act limits the political activities of federal government employees, as well as certain state and local agencies. In 1993, Congress amended the law to allow most federal and District of Columbia government employees to engage in various political activities. However, they are still prohibited from running for public office. A former Senate aide involved in the 1993 amendment stated that the removal of the Hatch Act exemption for Washington schoolteachers was likely a technical error that was not corrected due to political complications. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee is currently investigating the history of this amendment to determine if it was indeed a mistake and if any action needs to be taken.
Mr. Briggs’ lawyer, Matthew Yeo, shared that his client plans to appeal the federal order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He also intends to file a motion to allow Mr. Briggs to retain his job while the case is pending. The decision to dismiss Mr. Briggs came after the school district received a federal order to do so. While the vice president of the District of Columbia school board, William Lockridge, put forward a resolution in support of Mr. Briggs, no vote was taken on it during a recent board meeting.
If all efforts to reinstate Mr. Briggs prove futile, he is uncertain about his future plans. He remains optimistic and idealistic, finding it hard to believe that the system would enforce such a blatantly unjust rule.
