161643P.pdf   03/28/2017  Gary Thompson  v.  Andy Shock
   U.S. Court of Appeals Case No:  16-1643
   U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas - Little Rock   
   [PUBLISHED] [Smith, Author, with Wollman, Circuit Judge, and Wright, 
   District Judge] 
   Civil case - Civil rights. The district court applied the incorrect test 
   for determining that the defendant Sheriff was entitled to qualified 
   immunity in his individual capacity on plaintiff's claim he was improperly 
   discharged for supporting the Sheriff's opponent, and the claim is 
   remanded for further analysis of the claim under the Elrod-Branti line of 
   cases which apply when the constitutional right at issue involved 
   "joining, working for or contributing to the political party and 
   candidates of [the employee's choice]; the district court did not err in 
   granting the defendant Sheriff summary judgment on plaintiff's claims 
   against him in his official capacity because under Arkansas law and the 
   policies promoted by the County, the Sheriff did not act as the final 
   policymaker in the employment decisions of his department because the 
   decisions were subject to review by the quorum court.