A federal judge ruled the Education Department violated workers’ First Amendment rights by sending partisan shutdown emails without consent.
According to a report from the U.S. District Court in Washington, Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Department of Education violated employees’ First Amendment rights by altering their out-of-office emails to include partisan language blaming Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown.
Cooper stated that while political leaders may assign blame for the shutdown, civil servants cannot be used as “unwilling spokespeople.” He emphasized that federal employees’ nonpartisanship, protected under the Hatch Act, ensures that government serves “the public, not the politicians.”
The case, brought by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), argued that the emails compelled workers to express political views they did not hold. The court agreed, ruling the Department’s action unconstitutional.
Government lawyers contended that such disputes must go through administrative review under the Civil Service Reform Act, but the court found those channels unavailable during the shutdown.
The U.S. government has remained shut since October 1 amid partisan budget disputes.