I had never heard of this case, this is very interesting. It absolutely amazes me that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was willing to risk the already increased chances of aircraft hijacking due to budget constraints.

The ruling was a very interesting. I have always considered the words law, rule, and regulation to be one in the same concerning government, however this ruling seems to change that. Laws, rules, and regulations are not one in the same, and although what MacLean did was prohibited by TSA regulation, it was not “specifically prohibited by law” nor by 5 U. S. C. Section 2302(b)(8)(A), “because regulations do not qualify as ‘law’ under that statute” (Supreme Court of the United States, 2015).

References:

Department of Homeland Security v. MacLean, 714 F. 3d. 1301. Supreme Court of the United States. 2015.