Clements

Douglas and Sue Clements, former employees of the Airport Authority of Washoe County, filed this federal action under § 1983 alleging that their terminations violated the Due Process guarantee of the 14th Amendment and were in retaliation for First Amendment protected whistle-blowing activity. They also asserted ancillary state law claims. The district court granted summary judgment to the defendants, and the Clem-entses appeal.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

Douglas and Sue Clements were employees of the Airport Authority of Washoe County (Airport Authority). 1 Douglas Clements was Chief of Planning, Engineering and Maintenance, and Sue Clements was Property Management Analyst. The Clementses’ positions were eliminated pursuant to the implementation of a reorganization plan developed by the Airport Authority’s Executive Director Robert White. The Clementses contend that their positions were eliminated in retaliation for their whistle-blowing activities. They assert that their terminations constitute a denial of procedural due process and an infringement of their First Amendment rights.

The whistle-blowing activities at issue here occurred under the tenure of the Airport…