Brought to you by Southworth PC—Attorneys for Federal Employees

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. Supreme Court Asked to Keep Nationwide Freeze on Mass Federal RIFs (Trump v. AFGE)

SCOTUSblog reported that labor unions, local governments, and good-government groups urged the Supreme Court to leave in place a district-court injunction that blocks President Trump’s February executive order directing agencies to prepare “large-scale reductions in force” across the civil service. The challengers argue that the order circumvents Congress’s power to authorize reorganizations and would eliminate critical services before the courts can rule on the merits. The solicitor general is seeking an emergency stay, warning of “interference with internal operations,” while the Ninth Circuit has already refused to lift the injunction. The Court could act at any time, potentially determining whether hundreds of thousands of jobs remain protected during the litigation. Two amici, including conversative politicians and a progressive constitutional organization, both asked the SCOTUS to allow the injunctions to remain. SCOTUSblog

Legal Insight:

For career feds this case is a primer on how preliminary injunctions can preserve the status quo during high-stakes constitutional fights. Until the Supreme Court rules, agencies remain barred from issuing RIF notices based solely on the February order; any attempt to do so would likely violate the district-court directive and could be grievable or appealable to the MSPB. Remember that RIF procedures in 5 C.F.R. Part 351—including retention registers and bump-and-retreat rights—still apply if a downsizing is later allowed. 

2. Federal Judge Halts DOGE Access to OPM Personnel Records

U.S. District Judge Denise Cote issued a preliminary injunction forbidding the Office of Personnel Management from sharing federal-worker files with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), after finding likely Privacy Act and cybersecurity violations. The plaintiffs—unions and current and former employees—showed that DOGE affiliates had obtained sensitive data “with no legal right of access.” The court ordered the parties to propose detailed remedial terms by Thursday, even as the administration touts DOGE’s broader data-integration agenda. The ruling follows a string of DOGE victories at other agencies, underscoring the legal uncertainty around the unit’s sweeping data requests. FedScoop

Legal Insight:

The decision spotlights the strength of the Privacy Act’s “no disclosure without consent or routine use” rule. Career HR, security-clearance, and records-management officials should verify that any data-sharing memorandum cites a valid statutory or regulatory basis and a published routine-use notice. If you are instructed to transfer files that appear outside the scope of the injunction, ask for a written directive and preserve contemporaneous notes; refusing an unlawful order can be a protected disclosure. 

3. ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Would Make New Hires Choose: At-Will Status or Higher Pension Deductions

The House-passed budget-reconciliation package—nicknamed the “Big, Beautiful Bill”—would require future federal employees to make an irrevocable election at the end of probation: either waive civil-service protections and remain at-will (contributing 4.4 % of salary to FERS) or keep traditional due-process rights but pay 9.4 %. The bill would also codify the Administration’s “Schedule Policy/Career” designation (a successor to Schedule F) for policy-influencing positions, making it harder for employees to appeal adverse actions. Unions warn the measure will create a two-tier workforce and exacerbate recruitment challenges, while the Senate has yet to schedule a vote. Federal News Network

Legal Insight:

If enacted, this scheme would fundamentally alter Title 5 job-security norms. Prospective hires should model the long-term cost of an extra 5 % pension deduction versus the risk of at-will removal without MSPB review; for many, TSP contribution strategies may need to change to offset the higher FERS rate. Agencies would need new onboarding forms reflecting an “election of status,” raising questions about whether an employee can later claim the choice was uninformed or coerced (look for future OPM guidance on waiver validity). Current employees aren’t directly affected, but watch for collateral impacts: reductions in competitive-service positions could shrink promotion pools and priority-placement opportunities. Lastly, remember that constitutional due-process arguments (e.g., property interest in continued employment) are weaker for at-will staff—making pre-decisional engagement with agency counsel and unions even more critical.

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

Inbox Sunset Ritual

Five minutes before sign-off, scan today’s sent folder and mentally label each thread: “Resolved,” “Waiting,” or “Tomorrow.” Then—eyes softly lowered—inhale for four, exhale for six while visualizing those labels sliding into their own boxes on a shelf. Neurologists call this “psychological closing of open loops,” which shrinks the default-mode network activity that causes after-hours rumination. The ritual turns Outlook from stress trigger to closure signal, so your off-duty brain can file memories instead of reheating them at 2 a.m. Your family, your REM sleep, and tomorrow’s clarity will all say thanks.