ABF Freight Systems, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board (1993)
- Docket
- 92-1550
- Decided
- 1993-01-01
Summary
Question: Can the National Labor Relations Board grant reinstatement with backpay to an employee who lied under oath during his administrative hearing? Conclusion: Yes. Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for a unanimous Court, reasoned that the National Labor Relations Act gave the Board broad authority to adopt laws regarding the reinstatement of employees. The Court called perjury "intolerable in a formal proceeding," but ruled that the National Labor Relations Board was under no obligation to adopt a blanket rule against reinstating employees who have perjured themselves. Reducing the Board's discretion in making rules for employee reinstatement "might force the Board to divert its attention from its primary mission and devote unnecessary time and energy to resolving collateral disputes about credibility."