A federal judge has delivered a landmark ruling, finding that officials in former President Donald Trump's administration illegally violated the constitutional rights of federal employees during a government shutdown.
First Amendment Rights Violated
District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled on Friday, 8th November 2025, that the US Department of Education under Trump Secretary Linda McMahon unlawfully commandeered the email accounts of furloughed workers. The officials used these accounts to send automatic out-of-office replies that spread partisan messages, explicitly blaming Democratic senators for the funding lapse.
Judge Cooper's ruling stated that this action chipped away at the non-partisan foundation of the federal civil service. "Political officials are free to blame whomever they wish for the shutdown, but they cannot use rank-and-file civil servants as their unwilling spokespeople," he wrote. "The First Amendment stands in their way."
The Partisan Message and its Fallout
The automatically generated emails stated that the employee was on "furlough status" because "unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage" of a temporary funding bill. This language mirrored banners posted on the websites of several other federal agencies, including the Department of Justice and the State Department.
One furious Department of Education employee told ABC News, "We as career government employees need to be neutral when carrying out our jobs. This is such bull****." The judge's order now permanently blocks the Education Department from repeating this action.
A Landmark Ruling for Federal Workers
The case, brought by the American Federation of Government Employees, the nation's largest federal worker union, highlights an unprecedented use of government resources. Union president Everett Kelley stated the ruling makes clear that "even this administration is not above the law."
The government shutdown, which began on 1st October and became the longest in US history, led to hundreds of thousands of workers being furloughed. Essential staff, including air traffic controllers, were forced to work without pay, receiving $0 paychecks during the funding lapse.
While the White House defended its actions by citing similar partisan blame from previous administrations, the court's decision firmly establishes a legal boundary for the rights of non-partisan civil servants during political disputes.
