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Our online community now tops 150,000 federal workers and supporters across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Each briefing distills the day’s most consequential developments, adds clear-eyed legal analysis, and pairs it with mindfulness tools that keep you steady no matter how turbulent the news cycle becomes. If this newsletter helps you stay informed, please pass it on: https://fedlegalhelp.com/newsletter. Your advocacy broadens the protective circle for every federal employee.

Top Three News Stories:

1. Ninth Circuit Lets Trump’s Union-Freeze Order Move Forward—For Now

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the administration’s emergency motion to suspend a district-court injunction that had barred implementation of President Trump’s March executive order eliminating collective-bargaining rights at 21 “national-security” agencies.  The panel set oral argument for July 17 but, in the meantime, agencies may resume steps such as halting dues withholding, cancelling official-time arrangements and repudiating existing contracts.  Unions called the stay a “temporary setback,” while OPM said it would issue updated guidance within days. Reuters

Legal Insight: 

The stay is not a merits decision; if the panel ultimately affirms the lower-court injunction, any actions taken during the gap could be rolled back with back pay.  Management must still give 30 days’ notice before changing negotiated conditions of employment under 5 U.S.C. § 7116(a)(5) unless a bona-fide emergency exists.  Employees who lose official-time allocations or dues deductions should document the dates and amounts for potential restitution.  Filing unfair-labor-practice charges preserves rights even while the order is in force, and whistle-blower protections cover disclosures that the freeze is being misapplied.

2. Union Demands EPA Reinstate 139 Employees Suspended for Signing Dissent Letter

The American Federation of Government Employees on July 10 formally asked the Environmental Protection Agency to return 139 scientists and program analysts to duty and expunge records of their June 30 “administrative leave” placements.  The employees were sidelined after endorsing a public letter criticizing deregulation moves tied to the agency’s restructuring and staff cuts.  AFGE calls the suspensions illegal retaliation and says it will seek Merit Systems Protection Board relief if EPA does not act within 10 days. Reuters

Legal Insight:

Speech on matters of public health typically qualifies as protected activity under the Whistleblower Protection Act and 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8), making retaliatory suspensions reversible with back pay and possible OSC discipline for managers.  Employees should preserve copies of the dissent letter, leave notices and any communications suggesting punitive motive.  Union-requested status-quo-ante remedies could require EPA to reimburse lost premium pay and adjust performance ratings impacted by the absence.

3. Senate Confirms New OPM Director Amid Sweeping Workforce Changes

By a 49-46 vote on July 10, the Senate confirmed venture-capital executive Scott Kupor as Director of the Office of Personnel Management.  Kupor will steer implementation of the administration’s broad civil-service overhaul, including extended probationary periods, a fast-track “suitability” removal rule and classification of a new Schedule Policy/Career hiring authority.  He told senators he aims to “modernize” hiring while critics warned the agenda erodes due-process protections. Federal News Network

Legal Insight:

OPM’s director wields government-wide power to issue regulations under 5 U.S.C. § 1103; once rules are final, agencies must follow them absent court relief.  Employees should monitor Federal Register notices-in-preparation, particularly on suitability removals that could shorten adverse-action timelines from 30 days to five.  Unions and others can challenge such regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act, but individual employees must still meet new deadlines, so promptly consulting counsel after receiving a proposed removal is essential.

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

Single-Task Sprint      

For just 25 minutes today, try deep single-tasking. Choose one job—drafting a memo, reading a decision—and turn off all notifications. Each time your mind wanders, gently bring it back. This isn’t just a productivity hack—it’s mindfulness in action. Research confirms that focused attention not only gets more done, but it deepens the quality of thought—essential for legal strategy.