Robert J. MacLean (born March 8, 1970 in Torrejon Air Base, Spain) is a United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Transportation Security Administration (TSA) air marshal. On December 8, 2015, the United States Merit Systems Protection Board's November 3, 2015 ruling, in MacLean's favor, became final after the United States Department of Homeland Security chose not to appeal. The decision legally designates MacLean a protected federal employee whistleblower. On July 28, 2003, he made disclosures to national media about a strict dress policy that exposed air marshals' identities, and a proposed TSA operational plan that he believed would have reduced aviation security: removing air marshals from long distance, nonstop flights to save on hotel costs. TSA reversed all of the policies MacLean blew the whistle on. He was fired on April 11, 2006, and has claimed whistleblower protections.On April 26, 2013, a unanimous panel of three United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Judges found that MacLean was entitled to protections under the Whistleblower Protection Act and remanded the case to the Merit Systems Protection Board for further proceedings. DHS then appealed the three-judge panel's decision to ten judges on the Federal Circuit, all ten rejected DHS' appeal without comment.DHS appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States. The Court accepted DHS' appeal for review and affirmed the Federal Circuit's decision in MacLean's favor 7-2. The decision was written by Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts.Shortly after a United States Merit Systems Protection Board administrative judge issued an April 14, 2015 order that he was inclined to rule MacLean made protected whistleblower disclosures, on May 8, 2015, TSA voluntarily reinstated MacLean, but it opts to continue litigating the case in order to reduce the fees it owes MacLean's attorneys.