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

Presidential Removal Power and What It Means for MSPB Independence

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A divided D.C. Circuit decision on Friday did something federal employees can’t afford to overlook: it upheld the president’s ability to fire members of the Merit Systems Protectio...

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Why Civil Service Protections Matter More Than Ever

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Federal employees often feel the ground shifting under their feet, especially when political transitions accelerate. Beneath all the noise lies a simple truth: civil service protec...

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Presidential Removal Power: What Today’s Supreme Court Case Means for Feds

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or many federal employees, the fear sits quietly beneath the usual stressors: Could a president fire people simply for not falling in line? Today’s Supreme Court arguments bring th...

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Judge Halts State Department RIFs: What Federal Employees Need to Know

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Hundreds of State Department employees woke up on December 5 believing it was their final day in federal service. Overnight, that story changed. A federal judge issued an emergency...

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Alleged DEI “Purges” and What Fell v. Trump Means for Federal Employees

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A new class action, Fell v. Trump, alleges something no federal employee should take lightly: that the administration directed agencies to identify, isolate, and remove anyone link...

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Presidential Power vs. Civil Rights: What Nemer v. Bondi Means for Federal Employees

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A new lawsuit—Nemer v. Bondi—is raising a question most federal employees never thought they’d have to ask: Can a President legally fire you even if the motive is discriminatory? T...

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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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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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CFPB Furloughs: What Federal Employees Need to Know

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When an administration decides it doesn’t like an independent watchdog, the pressure rarely comes all at once. More often, it arrives through the quiet weaponization of funding, st...

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Why State’s New “Fidelity” Standard Threatens Merit Protections

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Federal employees have seen many political swings over the years, but the State Department’s reported decision to award retroactive promotions and back pay to nearly 300 employees ...

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OPM’s Draft Schedule F Rule and the Risk to Career Civil Service Rights

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Federal employees have heard whispers for months, but the recently leaked draft regulations go further than expected: nearly 50,000 career employees could lose core civil service p...

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DoD Fast-Track Removals: What the “Department of War” Memo Means for You

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A newly leaked “Department of War” memo is changing how the Department of Defense handles removals for “unacceptable performance.” It directs supervisors and HR to act with “speed ...

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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.

Meet Shaun & Lydia

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