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.

Important Announcement: New RIF Appeal Resources Now Available

Before we dive into today's briefing, we want to quickly highlight new resources we've created specifically for federal employees facing Reduction-in-Force (RIF) actions. Given the challenging situation many federal workers now face, we've developed three tailored options to help you successfully appeal your RIF before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB):

• DIY Online Course (Bronze Level): Step-by-step video modules, proven templates, and strategic guidance to help you confidently file your own MSPB appeal. $199.
  👉 Reserve Your Spot (No Payment Required Today)

• DIY Course + One-on-One Strategy Sessions (Silver Level): After enrolling in the DIY course, schedule private strategy sessions ($350/hour, up to three sessions) to personalize the course materials to your specific case.

• Full Attorney Representation (Gold Level): Professional legal advocacy for high-stakes RIF cases, beginning with a confidential consultation ($350) to outline your strongest arguments and next steps. Retainers start at $5,000.
  👉 Schedule Your RIF Strategy Consult

We designed these solutions to empower you—regardless of your budget or your case's complexity. Take action today to protect your federal career and future.

Top Three News Stories:

1. Supreme Court asked to clear the way for mass layoffs across 21 federal agencies

On Friday, May 16, the Trump administration filed an emergency application urging the Supreme Court to lift a nationwide injunction that is blocking enforcement of a February executive order calling for “large-scale reductions in force.” The lower-court order, issued by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, has frozen about 40 ongoing RIFs at 17 agencies and bars layoffs at a total of 21 departments and independent offices. Solicitor General John Sauer told the justices the injunction “encroaches” on the President’s authority to reorganize the civil service and is forcing agencies to keep thousands of employees they deem unnecessary. Unions, several nonprofits, and more than twenty states are opposing the appeal, arguing the order sidesteps the procedural safeguards that normally govern federal layoffs. The Court could act on the request in a matter of days. Politico

Legal Insight:

While the injunction remains in force, agencies covered by the February order cannot complete any new RIF separations. If the Supreme Court lifts the order, management would still have to follow the notice, ranking and appeal procedures outlined in 5 C.F.R. part 351, but timelines could move quickly. Employees who have received tentative RIF notices should keep copies of all correspondence, verify their service-credit dates, and consider pulling their official personnel files now in case appeals become necessary. Because the dispute centers on presidential reorganization authority rather than individual merit issues, any decision could set a broad precedent for future workforce cuts. As always, these comments are informational and not tailored legal advice.  

2. House Budget Committee Advances Sweeping Reconciliation Bill After Sunday-Night Vote  

Just before midnight on Sunday, May 18, the House Budget Committee voted 17–16 to send President Trump’s 1,100-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” to the Rules Committee. Four Freedom Caucus members switched from “no” to “present” after weekend talks, keeping Speaker Mike Johnson’s goal of a floor vote before Memorial Day alive. The legislation bundles tax cuts, new immigration spending and multiple benefit changes, and still faces disputes over Medicaid work requirements and the cap on state-and-local-tax deductions. CNN

Legal Insight:

Draft sections reported out of committee would raise employee pension contributions, phase out the FERS annuity supplement and shift pension calculations to a “high-5” average. Because the measure is moving under budget-reconciliation rules, it could pass the Senate with a simple majority. No changes are certain until both chambers vote, but federal employees nearing retirement—or weighing early-out offers—may want to compare benefit projections with and without the supplement so they are not surprised if the language survives. Advocates expect the Senate to refine the civil-service portions, and additional agency guidance would follow any enacted changes. 

3. Appeals Court Lets Trump Resume Executive Order 14251, Curbing Union Bargaining Rights

On Friday, May 16, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted the administration’s request to stay an April injunction that had blocked Executive Order 14251. The two-judge majority said the National Treasury Employees Union had not shown the kind of immediate, irreparable harm needed to keep the lower-court order in place. As a result, 14 large agencies—including Justice, State, Defense, Treasury, VA and HHS—may again treat most workplace matters as non-negotiable while the appeal proceeds. A formal decision on the merits is likely months away, and the union has said it will ask the Supreme Court to intervene. Politico

Legal Insight:

For now, existing collective-bargaining agreements could be ignored or reopened by the covered agencies. Employees who rely on grievance or arbitration timelines should keep copies of any relevant deadlines and consider alternative forums—such as MSPB or EEO channels—if a contract remedy is no longer honored. Unfair-labor-practice filings remain available, but FLRA may pause action until the courts finish their review. Because the case turns on national-security deference to the President, future arguments may focus more on constitutional claims than on routine labor statutes. Federal workers should watch for fresh agency guidance and, if in doubt, consult qualified counsel; nothing here is individual legal advice.  

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

Five-Second Soft-Smile Reset 

When tension knots the brow during an intense discovery review, let the corners of your mouth lift just two millimeters—enough to register as a “soft smile,” not forced cheer. Pair it with a gentle exhale through the nose. This micro-expression engages the brain’s mirror-neuron network, which in turn lowers heart rate and subtly invites calmer tones from colleagues who see you on video or in the bullpen. Neuroscientists have found that such brief facial shifts can drop perceived stress levels by nearly one-third, recalibrating emotional climate without a word spoken.