Richard Nixon v. A. Ernest Fitzgerald

A. Ernest Fitzgerald (plaintiff), an Air Force management analyst, testified before Congress about cost overruns and technical problems with a new Air Force aircraft, drawing an unfavorable reaction from his superiors; he was later dismissed in a reorganization. President Nixon (defendant) publicly took personal responsibility for the firing, though the White House later retracted that statement. Fitzgerald sued Nixon for damages, alleging retaliatory dismissal; the district and circuit courts rejected Nixon's claim of absolute immunity, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.