COURT CLEARS DRUG TESTS TO PROTECT PRESIDENCY

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court allowed random drug testing yesterday of
certain federal employees, to protect the safety of the president and vice
president.

The court refused to hear a challenge to a ruling by the US Court of
Appeals in Washington that permitted testing of some employees who work at
the White House Office of Management and Budget.

In 1986, President Reagan issued an executive order requiring the head of
each executive agency to establish a program for drug testing of employees
in ''sensitive positions.'' The White House staff then developed a plan
authorizing mandatory testing of all job applicants and random testing of
all employees in sensitive positions.

The OMB is an agency covered by the plan, and in 1992 it indicated which of
its employees would be subject to random testing. Many of the OMB's senior
staff have offices in the Old Executive Office Building, next to the White
House.

The suit was brought by Arthur Stigile and Ellen Balis, economists with the
OMB. While their offices are in the New Executive Office Building, they
have passholder access to the Old Executive Office Building. They argued
that the random testing was an unreasonable search in violation of the
Fourth Amendment. They said that hundreds of interns and visitors had
access to the Old Executive Office Building who were not required to go
through the ''humiliating'' experience.

The government responded that the search was justified as a means of
protecting the safety of the president and vice president.

The district court agreed with the employees, but its ruling was overturned
by the appeals court. It held that the government's interest in protecting
the White House outweighed the employees' interests.

© Copyright 1998 Globe Newspaper Company.