November 8, 2025
Media contact: Dorie Turner Nolt, dorie.turner@gmail.com, 404-861-1127
American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 252, which represents more than 2,700 U.S. Department of Education employees, applauded a federal judge’s ruling that the Trump Administration blatantly violated workers’ First Amendment rights by unilaterally changing out-of-office messages to partisan language. The ruling comes following AFGE suing the Department of Education. AFGE Local 252 President Rachel Gittleman released the following statement:
“This ridiculous ploy by the Trump administration was a clear violation of the First Amendment rights of the workers at the Education Department — one of the many ways the Department’s leadership has threatened, harassed, and demoralized these hardworking public servants in the last 10 months. While we are encouraged that the court sided with the Department’s staff in this case, we remain focused on fighting the continued unlawful dismantling of our Congressionally created federal agency.”
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AFGE Local 252 