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

What Is a "Mixed Case"? The Federal Employment Term That Controls Your Deadline

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If you're a federal employee facing a removal, demotion, or long suspension, and you believe discrimination played a role, the label "mixed case" isn't just legal jargon — it deter...

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Return-to-Office Orders Are (Mostly) Legal — But Disability Accommodations Are a Different Story

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A recent Federal News Network survey found that most federal employees say returning to the office has made them less productive — but for most workers, a return-to-office (RTO) or...

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The MSPB Deleted "Independent" From Its Website. Here's What Actually Changed for Your Case.

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This week, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) quietly deleted the word "independent" from its website, its LinkedIn page, and even a job posting — and the change is raising ...

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RIF'd From a Federal Job? Two Reemployment Rights You Already Have

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A federal reduction in force doesn't just end with your last day — for many employees, it opens rights that already exist under current law, whether or not Congress ever acts on th...

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The CFPB Layoff Freeze Held — But the D.C. Circuit Did More Than Headlines Are Saying

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The headlines say the federal appeals court kept the CFPB layoff freeze in place. That part is accurate. But the D.C. Circuit did more than that — and the part most reporting has g...

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Hundreds of ODNI Jobs Are on the Line — What Intelligence Community Employees Need to Know About Their Rights

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The office Congress built after the September 11 attacks to prevent the next intelligence failure is being downsized again — and this time, faster.

ODNI's own website now lists Bi...

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FEHB Medical Records and OPM Privacy Risks

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Federal employees are right to ask careful questions when the agency that oversees their health benefits seeks access to detailed medical claims data. The issue now surrounding the...

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Public Doubts Federal Cuts Improved Efficiency

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Federal employees have spent the past year absorbing reductions, reorganizations, removals, and shifting workplace expectations—all often justified in the name of making government...

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Park Service Exhibit Removal Ruling

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Federal employees often know when an assignment feels legally or ethically wrong before a court ever says so. That is what many National Park Service employees may have experienced...

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Public Trust in Federal Employees Is Rising

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After a year of uncertainty, criticism, reorganizations, and shifting workplace rules, federal employees received something rare: encouraging data. According to recent polling desc...

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RIF Efficiency Evidence and Federal Employee Rights

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A reduction in force is supposed to serve the efficiency of the service. That phrase matters. It is not just a bureaucratic label or a line in an agency announcement. When an agenc...

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Federal Employee Podcast Launch on Juneteenth

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Federal employees are navigating a workplace moment that cannot always be explained in three minutes. Discipline, probationary removals, shifting civil service protections, agency ...

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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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