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.
Listen to the podcastNews, rights, tools & learning
Federal Employee Resource Center
Search timely updates, plain-English explainers, practical guides, podcasts, and mindful-action resources. Start with the question you are trying to answer.
Why Federal Disability Accommodation Cases Are So Complex
If you are a federal employee navigating disability accommodations, you already know the law can feel like a maze. Agencies have trained coordinators, HR specialists, and sometimes...
When to Hire a Lawyer for Federal Disability Accommodations
For federal employees navigating disability accommodations, the first question is often: “Do I need a lawyer for this?” The truth is, not always. If your request is straightforward...
Telework as a Reasonable Accommodation: What You Need to Know
Overnight reports suggest that the CDC told employees with disabilities that telework would no longer be considered a reasonable accommodation. If accurate, that directive is more ...
Free Speech Limits for Federal Employees
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s viral statement that DOJ would “go after” hate speech sparked confusion. Let’s be clear: in the United States, there is no blanket crime called “hate s...
FBI Reassignments Show the Cost of Politics in Federal Work
Recent reporting reveals that nearly 3,000 FBI agents are being pulled from their core work—investigating child exploitation and domestic extremism—and reassigned to immigration en...
Trump-Era Layoffs and the Future of the Federal Workforce
This week, Politico confirmed what many federal employees have been experiencing firsthand: sweeping staff cuts across the government. Nearly 200,000 federal workers are gone in 20...
Erasing Slavery From National Parks: Why History Matters
In 1863, a photograph known as The Scourged Back stunned the nation. It showed Peter Gordon, an enslaved man who had escaped in Louisiana, with his back deeply scarred from years o...
Don’t Depend on the Algorithm for Critical Federal Employment News
Yesterday, a federal judge issued one of the most important rulings of the year for civil servants: OPM’s mass probationary firings were unlawful. On Instagram and YouTube, the new...
Judge Rules OPM’s Mass Probationary Firings Illegal
Earlier this year, thousands of probationary federal employees were swept out of service under a government-wide directive. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had ordered age...
Due Process Prevails in Lisa Cook Case
Last night, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals made headlines by blocking the administration’s attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. For federal employees, this case...
The Real Cost of Mass Federal Layoffs
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently criticized the DOGE initiative’s approach under Elon Musk: focusing on firing people instead of fixing inefficiencies. The promise was ma...
Federal Employees, Social Media, and Free Speech
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death, agencies have begun issuing warnings about employee social media use. Some federal workers have already been placed on leave pending review of ...
More ways to learn
Choose the format that helps you understand what is happening.
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.
Mindfulness
Work Peacefully
Use practical mindfulness tools to create space between workplace pressure and the decision you make next.
Explore mindfulness resourcesAbout 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 & LydiaThe Federal Employee Briefing
The important developments, without the all-day scroll.
Join 3,900+ federal employees getting sourced workforce news and practical next steps on weekdays. It is a free public-service resource from Southworth PC.