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

OPM's New Suitability Rule Lets Agencies Bar Federal Employees for Up to Three Years

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Starting July 30, 2026, federal agencies will have a new way to remove employees already on the job — one built for screening applicants, not managing an existing workforce. The Of...

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DoD Canceled Your Union Contract — Your EEO and MSPB Rights Didn't Go With It

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Across the Defense Department, some civilian employees are reportedly being told by managers that their union no longer exists. That claim is false — and it matters, because employ...

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NIH Whistleblowers and Retaliation Rights

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One year after hundreds of NIH scientists signed the Bethesda Declaration, their follow-up warning is stark: what they described as “chaos” in 2025 has become, in their words, “coo...

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CDC Telework Accommodations and Disability Rights

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For many federal employees with disabilities, telework is not a preference. It is the difference between being able to perform the essential functions of a job and being pushed out...

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Federal Employees Deserve Recognition Without Fear

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The Service to America Medals—the “Sammies”—have long been treated as the Oscars of federal service. This year’s 25th annual ceremony carried a quieter message: many federal employ...

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Federal Telework Accommodation: Build Your Record

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When telework is questioned, the greatest risk often is not the policy memo. It is the record being created—quietly—while trying to get through the week.

In federal employment law...

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During a Shutdown, Get Your Work Status in Writing

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When a shutdown or funding lapse looms, many federal employees report the same unsettling pattern: offices acting as if it’s “business as usual,” while managers avoid putting anyth...

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VA Reorganization Plans: What Staffing Caps Really Mean

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VA employees—especially those working in clinics, hospitals, and regional offices—are hearing a familiar phrase again: reorganization. This time, VA leadership has told Congress it...

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Black History Month and the Legacy of Black Federal Workers

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Black History Month turns 100 this year. It began in 1926 as Negro History Week, created by Dr. Carter G. Woodson to correct a national record that erased Black contributions from ...

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Shutdown Update: Senate Deal Framework Explained

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Federal employees received an unexpected update late Thursday afternoon: according to the New York Times, Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, and the White House have reached a f...

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Why Federal Employment Law Requires Specialized Attorneys

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Federal employees often hear a familiar refrain: “An employment lawyer is an employment lawyer.” That assumption can be costly. Federal employment law is not a niche add-on to priv...

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Federal Shutdown Risk: Why the Odds Just Improved—and How to Prepare

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Federal employees are right to feel uneasy as the end-of-month shutdown deadline approaches. Funding gaps are not abstract events—they land directly on household budgets, stress le...

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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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