Pappas V. Sonia Sotomayor

639 Words2 Pages

The case PAPPAS v. GIULIANI is one of the many cases Sonia Sotomayor has been involved in. In this case, Sotomayor was in favor of the plaintiff. Plaintiff Thomas Pappas was a former police officer and worked for the New York City police department (NYPD). Pappas began working for the NYPD in January 25, 1982 until his termination on August 18, 1999. He began as a patrol officer and moved his way up to a civilian computer operator. Pappas was fired for anonymously mailing from his home racially offensive political materials to political and other groups that had solicited him for donations. Leagle mentions that Pappas began mailing offensive articles in 1996 to the MAPD’s solicitation campaign. His letters included different articles and cartoons …show more content…

According to FindLaw, when the trial was held Pappas defended himself by saying that he sent the materials because he was protesting and was tired of being shaken down for money. Pappas saw his letters as a form of protest. Pappas sued the NYCPD because the termination violated his First Amendment rights. However, Commissioner Martinez provided her decision on June 25, 1999, finding Pappas guilty of conduct and recommending. Martinez states that the plaintiff’s conduct did not amount to protected speech on a matter of public concern and alternatively. Also, mentioned that the potential for disruption in the NYPD outweighed the value of the purported …show more content…

She believed that Pappas’ rights were being violated. Although she found his mails to be, “Offensive, hateful, and insulting” she did not let that affect her decision. According to Huffpost, Sotomayor’s opinion in the Pappas v Giuliani case did not seem like a judicial cause. On the other hand, EPIC states “ Judge Sotomayor dissent focused on the anonymous nature of Pappas’s speech and the fact that the speech took place when he was off duty” (https://epic.org/Sotomayor). EPIC mentions how Sotomayor pointed out that Pappas’s identity would not have been revealed, but the police department investigated and made it public. She believes that Pappas has all the right to speak anonymously. Sotomayor also indicated that the only reason Pappas was terminated from the NYPD was due to his case being public, which in turn, brings negative attention to the

More about Pappas V. Sonia Sotomayor

Open Document