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

When “We’re Still Reviewing It” Becomes a Legal Denial of Reasonable Accommodation

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If you’re a federal employee with a disability and your reasonable accommodation request has been “pending” for months while you’re told to just come in anyway—or burn your leave—y...

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RIF During a Congressional Freeze: What Federal Employees Need to Know

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When Congress passes a continuing resolution (CR) that prohibits agencies from initiating, carrying out, implementing, or even noticing a reduction in force, most federal employees...

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When Disability Accommodations Stall: Your Rights Under the Rehab Act

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For many federal employees, “Your accommodation is pending—come in or burn leave” has become an unwelcome refrain. With reporting that CDC has over 3,300 requests stuck in limbo as...

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Why “Minor” Discipline Isn’t Minor for Federal Employees

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For many federal employees returning from Thanksgiving with a knot in the stomach about what their agency might do next, that feeling is not misplaced. Small shifts in the discipli...

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Three Workforce Bills Every Federal Employee Should Be Watching

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When Congress marks up workforce legislation, federal employees often hear about it only after the rules have already shifted. Today’s House Oversight Committee session is a remind...

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Unlawful Orders in Federal Service: What You Need to Know

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When a headline suggests the Pentagon may have crossed the line into a war crime, the instinctive reaction many federal employees feel isn’t just shock — it’s recognition. Because ...

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Kalkines Warnings After Shows v. Treasury: What Feds Must Know

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When a headline suggests the Pentagon may have crossed the line into a war crime, the instinctive reaction many federal employees feel isn’t just shock — it’s recognition. Because ...

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Public Support for Federal Workers Amid Agency Cuts

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Federal employees often move through the year feeling unseen, especially after events like shutdowns, staffing losses, or politically driven restructuring. When programs shrink and...

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Gratitude as a Legal and Mental Clarity Tool for Federal Employees

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Federal employees have spent the year navigating unprecedented disruption: DOGE rollouts, chaotic reorganizations, and constant uncertainty about missions, staffing, and the future...

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Here's What I Would Tell DOGE If It Had an Exit Interview

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Federal employees have spent the last year living inside a case study of what happens when political ambition outruns legal authority. The Department of Government Efficiency—DOGE—...

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After DOGE’s Implosion: The Silent Shift in Federal Workforce Cuts

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When news broke that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had effectively collapsed, many federal employees felt a surge of relief. But the reporting behind DOGE’s implos...

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OPM’s New RIF Proposal: How Performance Ratings Could Cost You Your Job

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Federal employees have long relied on a RIF system grounded in objective factors—tenure, veterans’ preference, and credible measures of service time. The new OPM proposal rewrites ...

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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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