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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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FLETC Training Freeze Leaves Federal Agencies Vulnerable
The Trump administration has announced that the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) will pause nearly all training for non-ICE agencies through year’s end. This decisi...
CDC Leadership Crisis and Federal Governance Breakdown
The attempted removal of CDC Director Susan Monarez highlights a critical legal issue: under federal law, only the President—not agency heads or political appointees—can dismiss a ...
Why Lisa Cook’s Case Matters for Every Federal Employee
When President Trump announced he was firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, it looked at first like another political flashpoint. But for federal employees, this lawsuit carri...
Grand Jury Pushback: The “Ham Sandwich” Case That Didn’t Stick
Federal employees often hear the phrase, “a prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich.” That saying captures a sobering truth: federal grand juries almost always side with prosecutors. ...
Ninth Circuit May Halt Union Contract Cancellations
In recent weeks, some federal agencies have moved aggressively to cancel collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). For employees, this has felt like the ground shifting under their ...
Box Breathing: A Simple Practice Every Federal Employee Should Know
If you’re a federal employee, you don’t need me to tell you that the stress is real. For more than 10,000 hours of my career, I’ve sat across from federal employees who are dedicat...
Who Runs the CDC: Science or Politics?
On August 27, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that Susan Monarez was “no longer director” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Within hour...
Common Mistakes Whistleblowers Make — and How Attorneys Prevent Them
Federal employees who blow the whistle often step onto legal ground that feels both urgent and unstable. Many try to navigate the process alone, only to find themselves boxed in by...
FEMA Retaliation Concerns: What Federal Whistleblowers Need to Know
On August 26, 2025, more than a dozen FEMA employees were placed on paid administrative leave just hours after signing a public letter criticizing leadership decisions. The letter,...
Whistleblower Rights After Disclosure with National Consequences
When Charles Borges, the Chief Data Officer at the Social Security Administration, reported that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) copied the entire Social Security da...
Silencing Black Women in Power: A Federal Reserve Trailblazer Forced Out
The recent removal of Dr. Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve Board, is more than a personnel decision—it is a warning. Dr. Cook is not a novice. She i...
The Banner vs. Reality: Workers First or Workers Forgotten?
When a towering banner with the words “AMERICAN WORKERS FIRST” was draped across the Department of Labor, the image was meant to project strength and reassurance. But for federal e...
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