Public employee returning to previous role after voluntary selection does not automatically terminate prior employment contract.

The Supreme Court resolved a legal question regarding whether a public employee's return to a previous position after a voluntary selection mandate automatically terminates their prior employment contract. The lower court had ruled that the employment relationship ended automatically upon the start of the selection role, but the Supreme Court found this interpretation incorrect. The court held that the employee's consent to the selection implies a temporary suspension of the prior contract rather than its immediate termination, allowing the employee to resume their former role without a formal request for unpaid leave.