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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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Federal Hiring Freeze Extended: What Feds Need to Know
On July 7th, President Trump issued a memorandum extending the federal civilian hiring freeze until October 15, 2025. For GS-9 and above employees navigating an already shifting wo...
No Department-Wide RIF at VA – But Don’t Let Your Guard Down
VA Secretary Doug Collins announced that a department-wide reduction in force (RIF) is officially “off the table.” For many federal employees, this lifts the heavy fear of 70,000–8...
EPA Admin Leave Fallout: What Federal Employees Need to Know
Last week, 139 Environmental Protection Agency employees were abruptly placed on temporary, non-duty paid status—administrative leave—after signing a four-page declaration criticiz...
The Supreme Court’s Silence on RIF: What Federal Employees Should Know
Federal employees across agencies are anxiously refreshing for news on the Supreme Court’s ruling on the nationwide RIF (Reduction in Force) injunction. As of today, no decision ha...
Political Loyalty Tests: A Quiet but Major OPM Reversal
As Independence Day nears, federal employees have an unexpected reason to celebrate. Last month, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) quietly directed agencies to stop scoring ...
DHS Secretary Wants Loyalty Purge?! Know Your Rights, Federal Employees
Yesterday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reportedly asked her advisors how to “fire people who don’t like us.” For federal employees, this isn’t just an eyebrow-raising p...
Why Blue Collar Federal Workers Face a Hidden 2025 Pay Freeze
As federal employees head into the holiday weekend, a quiet crisis is unfolding for over 60,000 blue collar colleagues. Shipyard welders, VA HVAC techs, and park patrol trailblazer...
OPM Suitability Rule: 5-Day Removal Notices Ahead?
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has proposed a suitability and fitness rule that could reshape federal employment protections as you know them. The public comment period c...
Court Double Freezes Layoffs at Certain Parts of HHS
Federal employees across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) received unexpected news this week. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction halting planned reduc...
Supreme Court Ruling Protects Federal Task Forces
Last week, while many federal employees waited anxiously for the Supreme Court’s decision on the nationwide RIF freeze, the Court quietly handed down a ruling with enormous implica...
Announcement: We're Hiring Remote Federal Employment Attorneys!
Southworth PC is expanding. As a boutique law firm dedicated solely to defending federal employees when agencies violate their rights, we’ve made a strategic choice: while federal ...
How Pocket Rescissions Threaten Federal Agency Funding
If you work in federal service, the term “pocket rescission” might soon enter your daily vocabulary. It sounds like bureaucratic trivia, but this maneuver has real impacts—potentia...
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