Court Cases
Personnel Cases and the Federal Courts
Why doesn't Congress fix the tangled web of federal personnel cases clogging up the courts? Appeals channels are notoriously complex and cases take far too long.
Court Cases
Stay informed with the latest court cases affecting federal employees and retirees, including major federal employment law decisions, appeals, and rulings from MSPB, FLRA, EEOC, and federal courts. This category covers workplace rights, disciplinary actions, due process cases, retirement‑related rulings, TSP‑related litigation, and significant legal decisions impacting federal agencies and the federal workforce. Find clear summaries and analysis of the court outcomes shaping federal employment protections, benefits, and workplace policies.
Court Cases
Six Years of Appeals…and Counting
Most agencies have experienced some personnel removal cases that have dragged on seemingly forever in the appeals process. Thanks to a new decision by the Federal Circuit, the…
Court Cases
Afterword: Clearing Up Sexual Orientation Discrimination Confusion
In the author's last article, "Agencies Legally Discriminate Based on Sexual Orientation," readers asked whether it is "really" legal for agencies to discriminate on the basis of sexual…
Court Cases
Court Upholds Firing of VA Officer for Treatment of Homeless Man
The appeals court has sustained the firing of a VA Police Service lieutenant stemming from his treatment of a homeless visitor.
Court Cases
All in the Family
An employee of the Navy who accessed a crime database by running a criminal history on her husband ended up being fired. She said that she would never…
Court Cases
Divorce, Death, Children and a Federal Retirement Annuity
A federal court has upheld OPM in following the order of a divorce court to pay a portion of a retiree's civil service annuity to his two adult…
Court Cases
Agencies Legally Discriminate Based on Sexual Orientation
It remains legal for agencies to discriminate against federal employees based on sexual orientation. This was reiterated by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida,…
Court Cases
Inconvenient Drug Test Leads to Slowly Unfolding, Complex Tale
A Navy employee told to take a random drug test left before the test and created a complex tale to explain his actions during the multiple levels of…
Court Cases
Dancing the Night Away (At the Jefferson Memorial)
A woman decided to honor Thomas Jefferson's birthday at the Jefferson Memorial through an "expressive dance" with 17 of her friends. She was arrested and filed a lawsuit…
Court Cases
The Ever Evolving Definition of Sexual Harassment
An appeals court recently issued an en banc decision finding the U.S. District Court of for the Northern District of Alabama erred in granting summary judgment in a…