June 29, 2026
The First Circuit declined a request by three federal worker unions to formally order a Massachusetts district judge to pick up the pace in ruling on their challenge to a Trump administration policy asking job applicants for their views on the president's agenda, something the plaintiffs are calling an unlawful "loyalty" question.
June 16, 2026
Federal worker unions have asked the First Circuit to force a district judge to rule on their request to stop the federal government from asking job candidates how they'd advance Trump administration policies, saying their motion has sat undecided for nearly seven months.
March 11, 2026
Federal workers' unions told a Massachusetts federal judge Wednesday that President Donald Trump's administration is trying to fill the government workforce with loyalists, urging him to forbid the administration to ask prospective hires how they'd advance the president's priorities.
December 04, 2025
The Trump administration on Wednesday urged a Massachusetts federal judge not to strike a question for potential federal employees asking how they would advance the president's agenda, saying there's no evidence the question hurts an applicant's chances of getting hired.
November 20, 2025
Federal workers' unions asked a Massachusetts federal judge to block the federal government from asking potential hires how they'd help advance President Donald Trump's policy goals, saying that what they call the loyalty question is part of the administration's attempt to snub nonpartisan civil servants in favor of ideologues.
November 06, 2025
The Trump administration is violating federal job hopefuls' First Amendment rights and corrupting the government by asking applicants to detail their support for the president's policies, a union coalition said Thursday in a Massachusetts federal lawsuit challenging this "loyalty question."