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

Court Blocks Shutdown of Three Federal Agencies

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In March, an executive order from the White House attempted something extraordinary: it ordered three entire federal agencies—the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Fede...

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How Elon Musk’s DOGE Agenda Is Disrupting Social Security

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Federal employees know that when true reform is underway, it involves consultation with experts, input from the ground level, and a strategy that respects the mission of public ser...

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VA Workforce Cuts: 80,000 Jobs or More at Risk

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If you work at the Department of Veterans Affairs—or know someone who does—this week’s developments are hard to ignore. Secretary Doug Collins just confirmed in congressional testi...

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The Quiet Dismantling of Social Security: What Every American Needs to Know

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By Shaun Southworth, Attorney for Federal Employees

 

In 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA)—which serves over 70 million Americans every month—is being hollowed out u...

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19 States Sue Over HHS Layoffs: What Federal Employees Need to Know

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When 10,000 public-health professionals received pink slips this spring and entire research teams were told to pack up by June, the shock waves ripped far beyond the Department of ...

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Schedule F and Project 2025: What Federal Employees Must Know Now

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On his first day back in office, President Trump reinstated “Schedule Policy/Career,” the new name for Schedule F, re-classifying roughly 50,000 positions—about 2 percent of the ci...

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House Bill Could Cut FERS Supplement for DRP Retirees

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When Congress promises stability and then moves the goalposts, anxiety spikes—especially for federal employees who planned their exit down to the dollar. Last week a House budget d...

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Surviving Federal RIFs, Telework Cuts, and Schedule F Risks

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The ground beneath federal employees is shifting fast. In just three months we’ve seen an OPM initiative that could convert 50,000 positions—including 10,000 at SSA—into “at-will” ...

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Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks Misuse of Alien Enemies Act

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A federal judge in the Southern District of Texas just issued a ruling that’s making legal waves—and not for the reason you might expect. Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., appointed by...

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The 4th Circuit Just Shielded Millions of Federal Records

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Yesterday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a major ruling with implications for every federal employee and retiree. By a narrow 9–6 vote, the court upheld Judge Holla...

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How Law Day Became a Wake-Up Call for Federal Employees

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For many, May 1st—Law Day—passes unnoticed. But in 2025, it lands at a moment of constitutional reckoning that no federal employee can afford to ignore. This year, Law Day isn’t ju...

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House Bill Threatens Federal Pensions and Due Process

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Late last night, a House committee advanced legislation that could drastically change the financial future of federal employees. The bill—pitched as a $50 billion cost-cutting meas...

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Hear Shaun Southworth and Lydia Taylor explain federal employee rights, public service, workplace systems, and the people navigating them.

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About 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.

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