Source: Boston Globe (MA) Globe's Source: Reuters Contact: Website: http://www.boston.com/ Pubdate: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 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.