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

VA Loan Foreclosures: Legal Gaps Hurting Veterans

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Federal employees and veterans alike understand that government systems are supposed to provide stability—especially in times of crisis. But recent changes to VA-backed mortgage re...

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MSPB Back Pay Tax Relief for Federal Employees

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One of the most frustrating realities in federal employment law is that even a successful case can carry hidden costs. A recent Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) decision offer...

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HHS RIF Lawsuit Survives: What It Means for Feds

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A federal court in Rhode Island recently refused to dismiss the challenge to the March 27 HHS reorganization and reduction in force (RIF). That decision matters because it confirms...

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FY2027 Federal Job Cuts and Growth Explained

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The FY2027 budget proposal offers something federal employees rarely receive this clearly: a roadmap of priorities. While it is not yet law, it reflects where leadership intends to...

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Trump's FY2027 Budget: Proposed Staffing Changes for Every Federal Agency

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President Trump's FY2027 budget proposal lays out agency-by-agency staffing plans for the federal workforce. After cutting more than 300,000 federal employees in his first year in ...

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Negotiated Settlements Terminated: What Feds Should Know

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A recent federal decision to terminate long-standing Title IX settlements protecting transgender students presents a legally unusual situation. These agreements—some negotiated ove...

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MSPB RIF Cases: What Federal Employees Should Expect

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For federal employees challenging a Reduction in Force (RIF), the instinct is often to focus on the outcome—the job loss. But early MSPB litigation is rarely about that alone. Judg...

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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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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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