Rascist Cops. I'm sure you all remember that famous Labor Day parade in New York, where a bunch of apparently brainless cops and firemen participated on a float that featured mocking stereotypes of black Americans. They were fired, and they sued, claiming that their First Amendment rights were violated. The government moved to dismiss, but the District Court denied their motion. The Second Circuit reversed, noting that while the government was not as free as a private individual or company to fire employees, it retained hte freedome to dismiss employees who do not meet the reasonable requirements of their job. The decision in Locurto v. Guiliani can be found here.

Oh, by the way, these events all happened in 1998. Talk about the slow pace of litigation!