DEVELOPING: Federal Workers File Lawsuit Over Partisan Shutdown Emails

Federal Workers Sue Education Department Over Partisan Shutdown Emails A federal workers union has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Education, alleging that changes to employees' out-of-office email messages to include partisan language violate their First Amendment rights. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) filed the complaint in federal district court in Washington, D.C. on Friday, arguing that forcing civil servants to speak on behalf of the administration's partisan agenda is a "blatant violation" of their constitutional rights. According to the lawsuit, the Education Department inserted language into employees' out-of-office messages blaming Democrats for the government shutdown, which began last month. The AFGE claims this move was an attempt by the Trump administration to use taxpayer dollars to push its partisan agenda. This is not the first time the Trump administration has been accused of politicizing government communications during a shutdown. However, it is the first lawsuit challenging this practice. The Education Department has yet to comment on the lawsuit. The AFGE is seeking a court order to block the department from continuing to use partisan language in its email messages. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. *This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. Based on reporting from Npr.*