Florida Judge Blocks Drug Tests for State Workers
federal judge in Miami has tossed out an executive order from Florida Governor Rick Scott requiring drug testing of state employees, saying it violated the constitutional prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures.
The Republican governor last year ordered random drug tests for all state employees and new hires, regardless of whether they were suspected of drug use, arguing it was similar to the financial disclosures required for some workers.
In a ruling on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro described Scott’s reasoning as “hardly transparent and frankly obscure” and said it violated the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment’s search and seizure protections.
“He offers no plausible rationale explaining why the fact that a state employee’s work product and financial status are publicly accessible leads to the conclusions that the employee’s expectation of privacy in his or her bodily functions and fluids are then diminished,” Ungaro wrote.
Scott, a former healthcare executive, said he would challenge Ungaro’s ruling.