A federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration violated the First Amendment I am sending Automated emails and messages blame government shutdown on Democrats.
In rulingU.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Department of Education (DOE) cannot compel federal employees to report partisan speech.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which is represented by Democracy Forward and Public Citizen Litigation Group, previously sent a cease-and-desist letter as well. filed a lawsuit Staff against the Department of Education over political statements issued in email responses.
Cooper’s memo reads, “Nonpartisanship is the foundation of the federal civil service; it ensures that career government employees serve the public, not politicians.” “But by ordering its employees’ e-mail accounts to disseminate partisan messages, the Department undermines that foundation.”
Cooper added, “Political officials are free to blame whoever they want for the shutdown, but they cannot use ordinary civil servants as their reluctant spokespeople.” “The First Amendment stands in their way. That’s why the department’s conduct must stop.”
The ruling said DOE “waited until its furloughed employees lost access to their emails” then “needlessly” changed Messages out of his office include another partisan
message, thus turning its own workforce into political spokespersons through their official email accounts.”
“The department may have added insult to injury, but it also compounded its own mistakes,” Cooper wrote.
Cooper also ruled that DOE must replace its automated email messages with messages originally written by department employees.
Kedric Payne, vice president and senior director of ethics at the Campaign Legal Center, praised Cooper’s decision and said the fight would continue “to ensure that our nation’s civil service remains non-partisan.”
“The Hatch Act and related laws make it clear that partisan politics have no place in the official duties of a civil servant,” Payne said in a statement.
The Hill has contacted DOE for comment. An automatic response blamed Senate Democrats for obstructing passage of an ongoing resolution to fund the government.
“Due to a lapse in appropriations, we are currently in furlough status,” the automated email reads. “We will respond to emails once government work resumes.”
