• AML
  • Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Qui Tam, Compliance and Anti-Corruption News.
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home National Whistleblower Day

Leading Whistleblower Attorney Interviewed about National Whistleblower Day

Geoff SchwellerbyGeoff Schweller
May 21, 2021
in National Whistleblower Day
Reading Time: 3 mins read
National Whistleblower Day
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

July 30 is National Whistleblower Day. Every year since 2013, the U.S. Senate has unanimously recognized the holiday in order to honor individuals who have blown the whistle on misconduct, abuse, and violations of the law. Along with celebrating whistleblowers, the day aims to promote the idea that whistleblowing is a heroic action and to educate individuals about their whistleblower rights.

On May 18, leading whistleblower attorney Stephen M. Kohn of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto appeared on an episode of Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss National Whistleblower Day. Temin and Kohn talk about the history of the holiday and its importance for federal employee whistleblowers in particular.

In the interview, Kohn explains that National Whistleblower Day “marks when the U.S. Continental Congress on July 30, 1778, passed America’s first whistleblower law…which called upon every single citizen, or inhabitant in the United States to disclose violations of law to appropriate authorities.” Kohn adds that the law was “before the U.S. Constitution before the First Amendment, and it reflects a fundamental principle of American democracy unanimously understood by the founding fathers during the revolution.”

Register for National Whistleblower Day

Kohn uncovered the history of America’s first whistleblower law while doing research for his book The New Whistleblower’s Handbook. During the celebration for last year’s National Whistleblower Day, Kohn explained the full story of the law.

Later in the interview, Temin asks Kohn how things are for whistleblowers now. Kohn responds that “[i]n the federal government, for federal employees, things are still very bad. The Merit Systems Protection Board has been without a quorum for four years. And there’s a backlog of thousands of cases. So whistleblowers have been really out in the cold.”

“We really won’t accept whistleblowers or really have a system in which people feel comfortable raising concerns, until the workplace culture shifts,” Kohn adds. “And from our perspective, the key to that is for the leadership, not only to say whistleblowing is okay, but to point to examples, to point to what the Continental Congress did, and to educate their workforce and the American public that this is the American way, this is part of our credo, as free people.”

On April 21st, the National Whistleblower Center (NWC), of which Kohn is the Chairman of the Board of Directors, sent letters to dozens of executive offices and agencies urging them to implement educational programming centered around National Whistleblower Day. The letters state: “Widespread acknowledgement across the federal government of the importance of whistleblowers could change the culture of retaliation against whistleblowers that persists today.”

NWC also sent a letter to President Biden asking him to issue an Executive Order recognizing July 30th as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day and requiring all executive offices and agencies to educate employees about their legal rights and the importance of whistleblowers.

Listen to the interview with Kohn

Learn more about National Whistleblower Day

Tags: National Whistleblower Center
Previous Post

Endangered Species Day 2021: How Whistleblowers Can Save Species In Trouble

Next Post

Texas Dentists Agree To Pay $3.1 Million to Resolve FCA False Billing Allegations

Geoff Schweller

Geoff Schweller

Geoff Schweller is the Assistant News Editor for Whistleblower Network News. He coordinates news coverage, and also writes about breaking whistleblower news, SEC whistleblowers, IRS whistleblowers, CFTC whistleblowers, and federal employee whistleblowers. Geoff graduated from Hamilton College with a degree in Sociology and minors in French & Francophone Studies and Cinema & New Media Studies.

Next Post
FCA Settlement

Texas Dentists Agree To Pay $3.1 Million to Resolve FCA False Billing Allegations

Please login to join discussion

Receive Daily Alerts

Subscribe to receive daily breaking news and legislative developments sent to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most Popular

Advocates Detail Need for SEC Whistleblower Reform

Raytheon Whistleblower Receives $1.5 Million for Alleging Cybersecurity Non-Compliance

Ruling Striking Down Trump Order Targeting Law Firm Seen as Crucial for Whistleblowers

MJH Healthcare Settles Whistleblower Allegations of Postal Rate Fraud for $2 Million

Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Stronger Whistleblower Laws in Australia, Mirroring Polling in US

Four Whistleblowers Receive $1.3 Million for Alleging Genetic Testing Fraud Scheme

Whistleblower Poll

Whistleblower Poll
Whistleblower Poll

Exclusive Marist Poll: Overwhelming Public Support Among Likely Voters For Increased Whistleblower Protections

byGeoff Schweller
October 6, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

STAY INFORMED.
Subscribe to receive breaking whistleblower updates.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Us

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Careers

Subscribe

  • Daily Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • YouTube Channel

Contribute

  • Letter to the Editor
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Reprint Guidelines

Your Experience

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Help

  • Rules for Whistleblowers
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Advertise
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments. 

Submit an Article

Copyright © 2025, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

Become a Whistleblower Network News Subscriber

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Subscribe to WNN

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Subscribe to WNN
RSVP to National Whistleblower Day 2025! July 30, 2025 on Capitol Hill
RSVP NOW

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Exclusives
  • Government
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Federal Employees
    • Intelligence
  • Corporate
    • CFTC & Commodities
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC & Securities
  • Features
  • Legislation
  • International
    • Foreign Corruption
  • Rewards
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Environment & Climate
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Employment
    • Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers
    • Retaliation
    • OSHA
  • Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • National Whistleblower Day
  • Whistleblower Poll
  • Whistleblower Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resources for Locating An Attorney
    • The New Whistleblowers Handbook

Copyright © 2024, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version