Education Department must remove ‘partisan’ language from employees’ shutdown emails, judge rules

Published November 8, 2025 5:20pm ET



A federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration over its inclusion of “partisan” language in Education Department employees’ automated emails during the government shutdown, ordering the agency to immediately halt the practice.

The ruling was in response to a lawsuit brought by the American Federation of Government Employees last month, which claimed the administration violated furloughed employees’ First Amendment rights by changing their out-of-office emails without their consent. Those changes included pinning the blame for the shutdown on “Democrat Senators” who are “blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations.”

Already a print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.