Christopher J. Godfrey v. State of Iowa Terry Branstad, Governor of the State of Iowa, Individually and in His Official Capacity Kimberly Reynolds, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Iowa, Individually and in Her Official Capacity Jeffrey Boeyink, Chief of Staff to the Governor of the State of Iowa, Individually and in His Official Capacity Brenna Findley, Legal Counsel to the Governor of The

APPEL, Justice.

In this case, we are called upon to determine whether the equal protection and due process provisions of the Iowa Constitution provide a direct action for damages in the context of an employment dispute between an Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner and various state officials, including the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Governor’s chief of staff, the Governor’s legal counsel, the Governor’s communication director, and the director of Iowa Workforce Development.

The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants on the plaintiffs claims. We…