Texas Supreme Court rules disability-related misconduct unprotected

May 2026 employment law letter

Authors:

Michael P. Maslanka, UNT-Dallas College of Law

Here’s a rule of life: The more something goes without saying, the more it needs to be said. That pretty much sums up my feelings on a welcome decision the Texas Supreme Court issued on April 10. Read on.

Ranger with PTSD

Robert Callaway served the state of Texas as a Texas Ranger with the Department of Public Safety (DPS). His assignments, per the supreme court, involved “tough” assignments. His service led to medical leave with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which intersected with his personal life. While on leave, counselors at his daughter’s high school called him with a troubling message—your daughter is exhibiting signs of a mental health crisis. He and his wife hustled down to the school where the trouble began:

He loudly confronted the school counselors.
Upon being told that his daughter would be transported to a behavioral-health facility, he displayed his Ranger badge to two school police officers, threatening to prove “who has a bigger set of handcuffs.”
He told the officers he would put them “in jail for interfering with [his] rights as a parent.”

Post-investigation, Callaway was terminated. Per the top cop at the Rangers:

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