WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will decide if government whistleblower protection applies to employees of a privately-held contractor or the subcontractor of a publicly-held company.

The justices on Monday agreed to hear appeals from Jackie Hosang Lawson and Jonathan M. Zang. The two of them complained of retaliation for whistleblower activities from the privately-held parent company and subsidiary companies that run the Fidelity family of mutual funds.

Lawson resigned after complaining of harassment, and Zang was dismissed, and they both sued. A lower court refused to throw out their complaints, but that decision was overturned. The federal appeals court says only people who work for public companies are protected by the Sarbanes Oxley Act, which protects whistleblower activity.