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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. Judge Says Planned State Department Layoffs May Breach RIF Freeze

At a June 4 hearing in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston told Justice Department lawyers that the State Department’s plan to lay off roughly 2,000 employees “appears” to violate her May 22 preliminary injunction barring government-wide reductions-in-force. The government insisted the reorganization predates February’s executive order, but union counsel pointed to internal e-mails and pink-slip templates stamped “EO 14099” as proof the agency is moving ahead despite the court’s freeze. Illston ordered both sides to file briefs detailing whether any RIF steps have already been taken and scheduled a follow-up hearing for June 13; she warned that contempt sanctions are on the table if the facts show non-compliance. The Justice Department is simultaneously urging the Supreme Court to stay the injunction, with briefing due June 9, but until either court lifts the freeze, agencies remain barred from issuing RIF effective dates tied to the challenged order. Reuters

Legal Insight:

If you work at State—or any agency under the injunction—and receive a notice suggesting staff cuts are moving forward, preserve the notice, e-mails, and any reference to the contested executive order. Violations of a federal court injunction expose the agency to contempt remedies that can include reinstatement with back pay under 5 U.S.C. § 5596, so swift legal action backed by hard evidence maximizes the odds of an immediate stop-work order and protects your MSPB appeal rights if management tries to rush an effective date.

2. Class Suit Claims HHS Used “Error-Ridden” Spreadsheets to Cut 10,000 Jobs

Seven former Health and Human Services employees filed a class action alleging the department relied on spreadsheets that mis-stated duty stations, tenure groups and performance ratings when it ran its April 1 reduction-in-force. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks reinstatement and back pay and asks the court to halt any future RIF waves until records are audited. HHS has acknowledged “data quality issues” and said some separations may be reversed. The class action only covers this one issue. Federal News Network

Legal Insight:

RIF retention registers must be “accurate and complete” under 5 C.F.R. § 351.403; material errors might or might not void the action. Any employee who received an HHS RIF notice should request the full retention roster and SF-50 history and consult counsel immediately if you are interested in challenging this. You can contact our office for a RIF strategy session with Shaun for $350 or get started online yourself (or learn more) at https//fedlegalhelp.com/strategy. 

3. CISA Reels as One-Third of its Workforce Exits Amid Budget Freeze

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has lost more than 4,000 employees—over a third of its staff—since January, including key leaders in threat-hunting and election security. A partial hiring freeze and uncertainty over FY 2026 appropriations have paused state-and-local cyber partnerships, and nominee Sean Plankey faces Senate questions on how he will rebuild capacity before the 2026 election cycle. Hill aides warn that further attrition could delay zero-trust milestones across the federal enterprise. Axios

Legal Insight:

Employees offered involuntary geographic reassignments or directed details should first review whether the move would lower grade, pay or commuting status; only those changes likely make a reassignment “adverse” and thus directly appealable under 5 U.S.C. § 7512. Even when a straight reassignment is not appealable, an employee can still might be able to grieve under a negotiated agreement. Cyber specialists may also request retention allowances or special-salary rates; refusing a written request without a reasoned explanation can support a whistle-blower reprisal or prohibited-personnel-practice complaint. 

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

Mindful Commutes, Remote or Rail 

A commute—even one measured in hallway steps from bedroom to laptop—can be a daily dojo for mindset. As you leave home space, pick a sensory anchor: the rhythmic clack of Metro rails, the click of a light switch, or the first sip of coffee. Let that anchor signal “threshold crossed,” then inhale to the silent thought “arriving,” exhale to “serving,” for five cycles. Neuropsychologists call this an intentional transition; it flushes home chatter and primes attention for public-service tasks, so by the time your Teams status flips to green you’re not still rerunning breakfast debates in your head.