The United States Supreme Court is reviewing a lawsuit by 28 long-term scientists, engineers, and others at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Pasadena, California. The workers, who are independent contractors, claim the mandatory checks are overly intrusive — permitting the government to obtain information on their health, finances, personal habits, and even their sex lives. All were classified as “low risk,” unlikely to have a major “adverse impact” on the agency’s mission.
HSRR’s Dan Stormer told the high court that government contractors like his clients, who perform “low-risk” work, should not have to face intrusive questioning about drug treatment or counseling simply to qualify for a government-issued ID badge. Under questioning from Justices Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer, Dan Stormer said the government usually had sufficient grounds to ask for basic information from employees but needed stronger justification for questions that touch on personal concerns such as sexual relations and family matters. CNN. USA Today. Christian Science Monitor.