Iowa City, Ia (AP) — The former top judge at Iowa Workforce Development says he’s pleased to settle a long-running lawsuit alleging that his 2013 layoff was retaliatory and unlawful. Joseph Walsh said the $99,000 payment recently approved by the state to settle his lawsuit could have been higher had he not been able to return to state employment shortly after his layoff. Iowa Workforce Development eliminated Walsh’s job shortly after he opposed an attempt to make his position a political appointment. Walsh contended, correctly, that federal law required his position to be merit-based and insulated from politics. The agency’s then-director Teresa Wahlert withdrew that plan but then abruptly laid Walsh off weeks later.
