In California private employers and state/local are unconditionally prohibited from requiring employees or prospective employees take a polygraph. It's actually

In California private employers and state/local are unconditionally prohibited from requiring employees or prospective employees take a polygraph. It's actually a crime for a California employer to turn someone down for a job because they refused to take a polygraph (which is also why you should always refuse to take a polygraph for a non-federal employer in California). Presumably your example was for a federal job. There is also a similar federal law but it exempts government jobs.