Final answer:
Whistleblower protections are covered under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, and the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012, with protection against reprisals for individuals who expose wrongdoing.
Step-by-step explanation:
The section that covers whistleblower protections in the United States is addressed within several acts of Congress over the past few decades. Initially, in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, federal whistleblowers were granted rights and protections against reprisals for publicizing misdeeds within a bureaucracy or other organization. Additionally, the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 and the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 have further strengthened safeguards for whistleblowers, underscoring the commitment to protecting individuals who expose wrongdoing. To find specific sections on whistleblowers within legal texts, one would refer to the index under 'whistleblower' where entries, such as those on page 539, are listed to direct readers to the relevant sections in the text.