On Wednesday, Yackulic and five other former employees filed legal challenges to their firings with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. They argue their firings are illegal retaliation for perceived political affiliation.
These are people who exercised their First Amendment right by raising an issue of public concern outside of their official capacities, said Joanna Citron Day, one of the attorneys representing the fired EPA employees and general counsel for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.