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7h ago

Judge Orders Education Department to Strip Partisan Blame From Out-of-Office Emails

The ruling bars partisan edits to furloughed workers’ auto-replies to uphold civil service nonpartisanship.

The U.S. Department of Education building, weeks into the continuing U.S. government shutdown, in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 21, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper/File Photo
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Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper granted summary judgment to the American Federation of Government Employees, finding the edits compelled partisan speech in violation of the First Amendment.
  • He ordered the Education Department to immediately remove the blame line from furloughed workers’ auto-replies and permanently prohibited the agency from modifying such messages.
  • The order currently applies to AFGE members’ accounts and will expand to all employee accounts if the department cannot technically limit changes to union members.
  • Cooper directed the department to certify compliance in a status report within two business days.
  • The disputed text blamed “Democrat Senators” for blocking H.R. 5371, part of a broader shutdown messaging push reported across multiple federal agencies.