U.S. Office of Government Ethics 1201 New York Ave., NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005-3917 May 9, 2006 DO-06-014 MEMORANDUM TO: Designated Agency Ethics Officials FROM: Marilyn L. Glynn Acting Director SUBJECT: Court of Appeals Upholds OGE Rule on Teaching, Speaking and Writing On May 3, 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court in Wolfe v. Barnhart, upholding the validity of 5 C.F.R. § 2635.807(a) against a first amendment challenge by an administrative law judge (ALJ) of the Social Security Administration (SSA). See Wolfe v. Barnhart, No. 04-5194, available at http://pacer.ca10.uscourts.gov/pdf/04-5194.pdf, and http://www.kscourts.org/CA10/cases/2006/05/04-5194.htm. The Court also upheld the interpretation of the Office of Government Ethics that the rule prohibited the ALJ from receiving royalties for a book he co-authored about the SSA disability adjudication process, notwithstanding the fact that the ALJ may have acquired expertise on the subject prior to his employment by SSA.