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

Court Blocks Key Parts of DEI Funding Ban

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Late yesterday, a federal district court in California issued a pivotal ruling that directly affects federal employees, contractors, and nonprofits receiving government funding. In...

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How the CDC Panel Shakeup Could Set a Dangerous Precedent

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Federal employees may be tempted to dismiss the abrupt dismissal of all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) as a public health story. But th...

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Supreme Court RIF Case: What Two Bipartisan Briefs Reveal

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While federal employees await the Supreme Court’s decision on the nationwide RIF injunction, two strikingly aligned amicus briefs have emerged—one from Reagan-Bush era conservative...

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Supreme Court Fast-Tracks DOGE Access to Social Security Data

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On June 6, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a terse, unsigned order allowing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access real-time Social Security data. The ruling ...

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New 5-Day Suitability Rule Could Fast-Track Federal Removals

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A March 2025 OPM memo and a June 3 draft rule introduce a drastic shift: federal employees—even career SES and veterans—can now be declared "unsuitable" and removed within five bus...

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Supreme Court Deadlines May Decide Your Federal Job Security

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If you're a federal employee nervously refreshing your inbox, you're not alone. Two major injunctions—now before the Supreme Court—could decide whether thousands of Reduction in Fo...

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RIFs May Hit Federal Agencies if Supreme Court Lifts Block

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Over the weekend, news broke that federal agencies may be poised to issue Reduction in Force (RIF) notices as soon as this week—if the Supreme Court lifts a current legal block. Th...

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Job-Hunting After Federal Layoff: Legal and Emotional Survival Tips

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If you're a federal worker navigating layoff, contract loss, or job uncertainty, you're far from alone. The current landscape is hitting analysts, scientists, and grants-based prof...

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SCOTUS RIF Ruling Could Trigger Massive Federal Layoffs

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Federal employees across agencies—from the IRS to HHS—are awaiting a pivotal Supreme Court decision that could either trigger or prevent the largest wave of federal layoffs in mode...

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TSA Union Contract Reinstated After Federal Court Ruling

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A significant legal decision out of Washington State has turned the tables for over 47,000 TSA officers—and may offer hope to federal employees everywhere concerned about due proce...

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RIF Layoffs Still Frozen—What the Court's Ruling Means for You

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Late last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to lift the injunction blocking government-wide reductions in force (RIFs) that stem from a recent Executive Order. For ...

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The Power of Pause: Why Rest Is a Federal Employee’s Best Asset

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Federal employees carry a unique kind of weight. Many of you are navigating intense responsibility while simultaneously facing disciplinary threats, probation stress, or workplace ...

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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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