Chicago – November 09, 2025
A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Department of Education violated the First Amendment rights of its employees by inserting partisan language blaming Democrats for the government shutdown into their out-of-office email responses. The decision came from U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who criticized the Trump administration for commandeering employees’ email accounts to broadcast political messages without their consent.
Judge Cooper stated that government employees do not forfeit their constitutional rights upon entering public service and do not serve as platforms for partisan viewpoints. The ruling specifically applies to unionized employees represented by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), but the judge ordered the department to remove the partisan language from all affected email accounts if technological limitations prevent selective removal.
The altered out-of-office emails claimed Democrats were blocking a clean continuing resolution to fund the government, which the court found to be compelled political speech. The judge called the administration’s actions an unprecedented violation of employees’ free speech rights and mandated the department to restore personalized, nonpartisan messages immediately.
The AFGE welcomed the ruling as a victory for federal workers’ First Amendment protections and nonpartisanship in public service.
