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Civil Rights for Civil Servants
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Nearly 1 in 5 Federal Workers Is Gone: What “Voluntary” Departures Mean Legally
The Washington Post reported on October 29, 2026, that nearly one in five federal workers has left government since January 2025, and that Black federal employees took the biggest ...
OPM’s Hire-Palooza: Are “On-the-Spot” Job Offers Legal?
OPM’s “hire-palooza” hiring fair was scheduled for October 29, 2026, and the publicity raised a fair question: what does “job offers on the spot” mean, and is it legal? The short a...
DHS Employee Data Breach: What ICE, CBP, and USCIS Employees Should Do Now
A reported data breach at the Department of Homeland Security has put the names and assignments of more than 41,000 employees and contractors into a searchable database online. If ...
USAID Official Who Signed Mass Terminations Had No HR Record, Emails Show: Why Paperwork Matters
A new report from WIRED raises a pointed question about the USAID terminations: how did an official sign the letter ending the employment of thousands of career staff when, accordi...
OPM’s “Hire-Palooza” Recruiting Tour: What Federal Merit Principles Say About Hiring
OPM’s “hire-palooza” and the recruiting tour that preceded it have prompted a fair question about federal merit hiring: who is the government trying to reach, and does the outreach...
Shutdown Layoff Guidance Rescinded: What OMB Memo M-27-01 Means for Federal Employees
The shutdown layoff guidance that triggered thousands of federal layoff notices last fall has now been rescinded in writing. With federal funding set to run out on December 11, her...
FOIA Records: DOGE Affiliate Said the White House Sent a List of NSF Grants to Cut
Newly released records show a DOGE affiliate at the National Science Foundation writing that the White House had sent him a list of NSF grants to terminate, months before a top Whi...
IRS Warns Against "Mediocrity" While Capping Top Ratings: What Stack Ranking Research Says
The IRS is warning employees against "deliberately choosing mediocrity" at the same time a new OPM rating cap means many of them will receive middle-of-the-road performance ratings...
Judge Rejects DOJ's Article II Firing Theory in Maurene Comey Case: What It Means for Federal Employees
A federal judge has ruled that the Justice Department unlawfully fired former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, and in doing so rejected the government's argument that Article II o...
Two Marines Sue the Pentagon Over the DMDC Data Breach: How Privacy Act Damages Work
Two Marines have filed a Privacy Act lawsuit against the Pentagon over the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) data breach, which exposed the personal information of more than thre...
OPM Broke the Privacy Act With DOGE Access. Will Federal Employees Get Paid?
A federal judge has ruled that OPM violated the Privacy Act when it gave DOGE agents access to the personnel records of millions of current, former, and prospective federal employe...
FEHB 2027 Premiums Rise 10.9%: Four Open Season Moves for Federal Employees
FEHB 2027 premiums are going up, and for most federal employees the paycheck is not. According to OPM's 2027 rates, the average enrollee's share of the premium will rise 10.9 perce...
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