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Civil Rights for Civil Servants
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Can Courts Void DOGE Actions Under the Appointments Clause?
A recent federal ruling in New Mexico v. Musk has generated significant attentionā€”and understandable hope among federal employees affected by DOGE-related actions. But clarity is e...
Southworth PC Expands Support for Federal Employees
For federal employees facing discipline, probationary removal, EEO retaliation, or abrupt policy shifts, the quality of legal representation can change the course of a career. That...
MSPB Ruling on Immigration Judges and Article II
A recent Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) decision, Jackler and Jaroch v. Department of Justice, marks a significant shift in how certain federal employees may be classifiedā€”a...
DOGE Ruling: What It Means for Federal Employees
A March 23 federal court ruling in New Mexico v. Musk signals a meaningful shift in how courts may evaluate actions taken under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). For ...
USPS RIF Risks and Career Employee Rights
For USPS employees, the immediate risk is not just financial instability. It is how that instability may reshape who keeps legal protections when the hardest employment decisions a...
State Departmentā€™s New Performance Playbook
The State Department appears to be testing a model other agencies may soon copy. In July 2025, it carried out roughly 1,350 layoffs, including about 246 Foreign Service officers on...
DOGE RIF Tactics: Legal Risks for Federal Employees
Recent deposition testimony from DOGE staff provides one of the clearest factual records yet of how RIF decisions and grant cancellations were executed inside federal agencies. Und...
4 Signs a Federal PIP May Be Pretextual
For many federal employees, being placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) can feel like the beginning of the end of a career. Agencies often describe PIPs as supportive tool...
Why Federal Employees Should Review Their Performance Plan
Federal employees often focus on the latest policy changes or agency announcements. Yet one of the most consequential documents affecting a federal career may already be sitting qu...
The Schedule Policy/Career Rule Just Cleared the Runway
As of March 9, the 30-day waiting period following the Office of Personnel Managementā€™s final rule creating Schedule Policy/Career has expired. That technical milestone carries sig...
Court Voids USAGM RIF Over Vacancies Act Violation
A recent federal court ruling offers an important reminder that even major personnel actions must comply with the rule of law. In a decision involving the U.S. Agency for Global Me...
MSPB Will Not Hear Schedule Policy/Career Appeals
Federal employees watching the rollout of Schedule Policy/Career should understand a critical procedural change: the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has announced it will not...
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