Coleman v. DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL ADMININISTRATION

Opinion

KENNARD, J.

The abstract words of the due process clause of the United States Constitution have engendered many controversies; but it is beyond dispute that the government may not deprive an individual of life, liberty, or property without notice and opportunity to respond, in a manner “appropriate to the nature of the case.” (Mullane v. Central Hanover Tr. Co. (1950) 339 U.S. 306, 313 [94 L.Ed. 865, 872-873, 70 S.Ct. 652].)

The due process issue we address here is what procedural safeguards, if any, the state must afford a permanent civil service employee when it exercises its statutory…