Civil Rights
Labor’s disability accommodation delays under scrutiny by House lawmakers
Lawmakers say interim accommodations “are infrequently considered,” and that staffing shortages have contributed to significant processing delays and growing backlogs.
Don’t let federal agencies judge their own discrimination cases
COMMENTARY | The current system would leave workers at the mercy of the agencies they accuse of discrimination, argues AFGE's civil rights leader.
CDC, after months of delays, gives employees 20 days to resubmit disability accommodation documentation
CDC is spending months, if not longer, to process reasonable accommodation requests because HHS-wide layoffs and separation incentives decimated the department’s human resources functions.
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Nearly 3,150 Labor employees seeking disability accommodations impacted by data leak, internal memo says
A recently disclosed data leak impacts employees who have submitted reasonable accommodation requests since October 2023.
EEOC votes to propose new rule stripping feds of hearing rights, class action complaints
Members of the public have just 30 days to digest and submit comments on a 130-page plan upending the process for alleging workplace discrimination at federal agencies.
Data from Labor employees seeking disability accommodations impacted by 'internal incident'
The Labor Department is telling employees about an “internal incident report” in which an individual sent employees' sensitive health information to their personal email address.
Labor looks to AI to tackle accommodation requests from disabled employees
Employees say they’ve waited months or longer for decisions, as the Labor Department considers using AI to sort requests and flag missing documentation.
AFGE sues over EEOC’s apparent shutdown of class action cases against agencies
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chairwoman Andrea Lucas surreptitiously ordered a halt on all class-action proceedings in which a federal agency is a defendant last December, despite regulations requiring such cases be handled “promptly.”
EEOC says government must pay damages to some employees subject to Biden's vaccine mandate
The Biden administration unlawfully failed to accommodate a handful of employees' religious objections to the COVID-19 vaccine, the EEOC ruled Monday.
Why federal agencies still need to defend hiring standards
COMMENTARY | The Trump administration may be pulling back on disparate-impact enforcement, but agencies still face lawsuits, scrutiny and pressure to prove hiring standards are tied to the job.
ICE enforcement practices raise questions about oversight of pregnant and postpartum detainees
New figures show Immigration and Customs Enforcement is detaining and deporting vulnerable populations, highlighting gaps in agency policy and oversight.
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States sue HUD over fair housing guidance tied to enforcement funding
Sixteen states and D.C. say HUD memos restricting reimbursement for certain discrimination cases could conflict with state laws and undermine investigations by agencies that enforce fair housing protections.
Women in federal service still face retirement gaps
Lifetime earnings, career interruptions and caregiving responsibilities continue to shape retirement outcomes for women in federal service.
Ex-DOJ civil rights attorneys continue their work ‘just not in the division’
About three quarters of lawyers working on civil rights at the Justice Department have left the division since President Donald Trump took office.
Education Department spent up to $38M paying employees not to work before reinstating them, watchdog reports
The Government Accountability Office also reported that the caseload for the department’s Office for Civil Rights increased by an average of 98 cases per week during part of the time that these staffers were on paid leave.
Trump administration plans to end prison rape protections for trans and intersex people, memo says
A Justice Department memo obtained by Prism says certain standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act do not align with Trump’s January 20 anti-trans executive order.
200 DOJ employees who left under Trump say admin is making ‘coordinated effort’ to undermine career staff
The Justice Department is actively pushing out career employees working on civil rights, they say.
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After shedding most employees, DOJ looks to shift around Civil Rights staff to fill ‘deep need’
Some offices have lost 75% of their attorneys but are still being asked to reassign those who remain to higher priority areas.
EEOC nominee would likely lead ‘real retreat’ from agency’s civil rights mission
Andrea Lucas is appearing before a Senate panel on Wednesday and is expected to be confirmed as EEOC chair. The Trump nominee wants to revisit agency guidance related to pregnancy and gender identity.
DHS says it won’t eliminate oversight offices but is still pursuing layoffs
Progressive legal organizations are suing to stop the Trump administration from winding down the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties as well as two ombudsmen focused on immigration.
