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Shaun Southworth leading a federal employment training session with members of the Southworth PC team
 

VA Arbitration Ruling Reinforces Union Rights

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Recent reports involving senior military promotions raise a deeper concern that extends beyond any single agency: the erosion of merit-based decision-making. Allegations that promo...

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Merit vs. Politics in Federal Promotions

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Recent reports involving senior military promotions raise a deeper concern that extends beyond any single agency: the erosion of merit-based decision-making. Allegations that promo...

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Religious Messaging in Federal Agencies: Legal Limits

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Federal employees often ask where the line falls between personal faith and workplace conduct. That line became especially important after a Cabinet-level, agency-wide email framed...

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2027 Federal Pay Freeze: What It Means for You

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The 2027 budget proposal includes no pay raise for civilian federal employees. While not yet final, the omission is significant. In contrast, military compensation is proposed to i...

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IRS W-2 Errors Force Employees to Amend Tax Returns

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Few stories capture the strain on today’s federal workforce more clearly than this one: the IRS reportedly told employees that their W-2 forms were incorrect just weeks before Tax ...

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Federal Workforce Cuts vs Defense Spending

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When leaders promise “efficiency,” federal employees should always ask two questions: what is being cut, and what is being protected? The contrast in this transcript is stark. Hund...

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DOJ Leadership Changes and Federal Employee Risks

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Recent leadership changes at the Department of Justice highlight a deeper concern for federal employees: the potential erosion of institutional independence. While political turnov...

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Birthright Citizenship Case and Federal Rule of Law

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The Supreme Court’s recent oral arguments on birthright citizenship may seem far removed from federal employment. They are not. At its core, the case tests a foundational question:...

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HHS Layoffs and the Public Health Fallout

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One year after thousands of Department of Health and Human Services employees were terminated, the consequences are no longer abstract. They are visible inside agencies, in delayed...

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Forest Service Reorganization and Union Rights

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The Forest Service’s planned reorganization is not just another agency reshuffle. It is a live example of how much collective bargaining can matter when federal employees are told ...

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FBI Firings and Constitutional Due Process Rights

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Three former FBI agents—each with strong performance records and decades of combined service—have filed a lawsuit challenging their abrupt terminations. According to the complaint,...

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VA Union Contract Stay: What It Means Now

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When agencies and courts move quickly, uncertainty follows. Right now, VA employees are asking a simple but urgent question: does the union contract still apply while the case is o...

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The Mindful Federal Employee is part of a broader public-education ecosystem from Shaun Southworth, Lydia Taylor, and Southworth PC. Use the resource that fits the question and the moment.

Podcast

Civil Rights for Civil Servants

Hear Shaun Southworth and Lydia Taylor explain federal employee rights, public service, workplace systems, and the people navigating them.

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About the people behind the work

Shaun Southworth & Lydia Taylor

Meet the federal employment attorneys behind this public-education work and the podcast Civil Rights for Civil Servants.

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