Maryland Jury Instruction 1.1.2 — Public Employee First Amendment Claim Discharge — Failure To Promote Political Disloyalty — Key Employee In Maryland, public employees are protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which grants them certain rights to freedom of speech and political expression. Under Maryland Jury Instruction 1.1.2, public employees may bring forth a claim if they believe they have been discharged or suffered adverse employment actions due to their political beliefs or affiliations. A key aspect of this jury instruction is the concept of "political disloyalty." If a public employee is denied a promotion or subjected to negative employment consequences based on their perceived political disloyalty, they may have grounds for a claim. This particular jury instruction focuses specifically on key employees. Key employees are individuals who hold essential positions within the public entity, where their role is important to the functioning of the organization. They may have decision-making authority, access to sensitive information, or hold a position of significant responsibility. The purpose of distinguishing key employees is to establish that their political loyalty is of particular importance due to their influential roles. The claim asserts that a public entity cannot deny a key employee a promotion or take adverse employment actions solely based on their political beliefs, affiliations, or lack of loyalty to a specific political party. Maryland Jury Instruction 1.1.2 recognizes different scenarios that may arise in public employee first amendment claims related to discharge and failure to promote political disloyalty: 1. Discharge for Political Disloyalty: This refers to a situation where a public employee is terminated from their position due to their political beliefs or affiliations that are perceived as disloyal to their employer or contrary to the interests of the public entity. 2. Failure to Promote based on Political Disloyalty: This scenario occurs when a key employee is denied a promotion or advancement opportunity solely because of their political beliefs or affiliations, which are deemed unsupportive or disloyal to the public entity. It is important to note that the burden of proof lies with the plaintiff, the public employee bringing forth the claim. They must demonstrate that their discharge or failure to promote was solely motivated by political disloyalty and not influenced by any other legitimate factors, such as job performance or qualifications. Overall, Maryland Jury Instruction 1.1.2 serves to protect the First Amendment rights of public employees and ensure that they are not unfairly targeted or punished for their political beliefs or affiliations, particularly in cases involving key employees who hold crucial positions within public entities.