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

Federal Unions Challenge OPM’s “Loyalty Question” in Hiring

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Three of the largest federal-employee unions—AFGE, AFSCME, and NAGE—just filed a 54-page lawsuit that could reshape the foundation of federal hiring. Their target: a new “loyalty q...

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The #1 Legal Mistake Federal Employees Make in Discipline Cases

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After more than twenty thousand hours representing federal employees, one mistake stands out above all others: trying to face a disciplinary proposal alone. Agencies have trained a...

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Federal Employee Morale and the Year of Disruption

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According to new reporting from Federal News Network, nearly one in three federal employees say their workplace was disrupted “to a very large extent” this year—almost three times ...

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Shutdown RIFs: What the Court’s Order Means for Federal Employees

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Roughly 4,000 layoff notices went out earlier in the government shutdown, but a recent federal court order has frozen most of them. The injunction—issued by a judge in San Francisc...

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Federal Disability Retirement: A Lifeline When Health Challenges Hit

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For many federal employees, health challenges can quietly transform once-manageable work into a daily struggle. Add the stress of shutdowns, furloughs, or RIF talk, and it’s no sur...

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Are Federal Employees Guaranteed Back Pay After the Shutdown?

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Federal employees are asking the right question: “Are we really getting back pay this time?” The short answer is yes. Under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (GEFT...

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HHS Suspends Severance Payments During Shutdown

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A new internal HHS alert titled “Severance Payment Suspension During Appropriations Lapse” confirms that the agency has suspended all severance payments to former employees while t...

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FBI Warns of Fake ICE Agents: Trust Crisis in Federal Law Enforcement

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The FBI has issued a rare nationwide warning: criminals are impersonating federal immigration officers—not just with fake badges, but through violent crimes including kidnappings, ...

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Shutdown Politics Shift After Democratic Wins

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Democrats’ sweep in several governor’s and legislative races this week did more than shift state maps—it changed the math in Washington. President Trump himself summed up the new r...

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Supreme Court Case Tests Presidential Power in Learning Resources v. Trump

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The Supreme Court heard arguments this week in Learning Resources v. Trump—a case that could reshape how far presidential authority extends in national emergencies. While it center...

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Federal Employees and Voting Leave: What Today’s Rules Really Say

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For many federal employees, Election Day raises an unexpected question: can you take paid administrative leave to vote? The answer, unfortunately, depends on where you work. Some a...

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Federal Whistleblower Protections: Speaking Up Without Losing Your Career

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Few things unsettle career federal employees more than seeing someone punished for doing the right thing. The recent case involving an FBI official who questioned a senior leader’s...

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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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