National Aeronautics and Space Administration v. Nelson

Summary

The Supreme Court held that NASA's background check inquiries for contractors at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory did not violate a constitutional right to informational privacy, assuming such a right exists. The Court found the questions reasonable in light of the Government's interests as proprietor and protected by the Privacy Act's safeguards against public disclosure. Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas concurred in the judgment, asserting that no federal constitutional right to informational privacy exists.