20 Years Gone: Examining At-Will Public Employee Whistleblower Cases Following Civil Service Reform in Georgia

Between 1995 and 1996, the state of Georgia fundamentally altered their public employee personnel system through civil service reform efforts, representing one of the most significant employee merit system changes witnessed at the state level. Although scholars have extensively examined the impact of Georgia’s civil service reforms, the ramifications of such measures on employees seeking statutory relief for whistleblowing remains unaddressed. This article explores these implications by examining judicial interpretation of applicable state whistleblowing statutes following civil service reforms. Analysis of whistleblowing cases decided by the Georgia Supreme Court and Georgia Court of Appeals illustrates how judicial interpretation of state whistleblowing statutes and terms of employment exposes barriers towards at-will public employees successfully attaining relief for disclosing wrongdoing.