The federal government employs approximately 3 million individuals, making it the largest employer in the United States. Most of these employees enjoy tenure protections under the civil service laws and may only be removed for cause. The Trump administration has brought significant upheaval to this system. Indeed, large-scale reductions in force have caused the largest mass layoff by any employer in United States history. The following page collects and categorizes short essays that I have written on the civil service as well as podcasts in which I have spoken about these issues. I have also included links to Bluesky threads where I conducted in-depth analysis on certain cases. The items in each category are organized from broadest (i.e., primers and general explainers of civil service law) to narrowest (i.e., niche issues related to the topic or breaking news).
Civil Service, Generally
Lawfare Daily: Nick Bednar on Trump’s Civil Service Executive Orders (Podcast)
January 28, 2025
[Lawfare]
President Trump and the Civil Service: Day 1 (Essay)
January 23, 2025
[Lawfare]
A Primer on the Civil Service and the Trump Administration (Essay)
December 3, 2025
[Lawfare]
Reductions in Force and Administrative Leave
A Primer on Reductions in Force (Essay)
February 20, 2025
[Lawfare]
What to Know about RIFs, Relocation, and Reassignment (Podcast)
May 2025
[Partnership for Public Service]
Reductions in Force Challenges in the Federal Courts (Essay)
July 17, 2025
[Lawfare]
Reductions in Force During Shutdowns (Essay)
September 29, 2025
[Lawfare]
The Use and Abuse of Administrative Leave (Essay)
February 13, 2025
[Lawfare]
Lawfare Daily: The Trials of the Trump Administration, July 18 (Podcast)
(Discussing the Supreme Court’s stays in AFGE v. Trump and McMahon v. New York)
July 21, 2025
[Lawfare]
The Excepted Service and the Senior Executive Service
The Return of Schedule F (Essay)
May 19, 2025
[Lawfare]
The End Game for Schedule G (Essay)
July 14, 2025
[Lawfare]
A Primer on the Senior Executive Service (Essay)
September 2, 2025
[Lawfare]
Merit Systems Protection Board and the Office of Special Counsel
Trump’s Dismantling of the Government Hurts Due Process (Essay)
March 4, 2025
[Lawfare]
Office Providing Relief to Fired Federal Employees Is Under Threat (Essay)
February 26, 2025
[Lawfare]
Lawfare Live: Trials of the Trump Administration, March 7 (Podcast)
(Discussing cases involving the removal of the Special Counsel and chairperson of the Merit Systems Protection Board).
March 5, 2025
[Lawfare]
Commission Quorums
(Discussing the broader trend of removing officials from independent commissions to break quorums)
July 2025
[SSRN]
Deferred Resignation Program
Breaking Down OPM’s “Fork in the Road” Email to Federal Workers (Essay)
January 30, 2025
[Lawfare]
Will Employees Who Resign Have a Remedy? (Essay)
February 4, 2025
[Lawfare]
Federal Workers Shouldn’t Sign OPM’s Resignation Agreement (Podcast)
February 5, 2025
[Washington Post]
Lawfare Daily: The Legality of OPM’s Deferred Resignations (Podcast)
February 5, 2025
[Lawfare]
“What Did You Do Last Week?” Email
What Just Happened: Musk-OPM Send Email to Federal Employees Asking for Five Accomplishments (Essay)
February 22, 2025
[Just Security]
Does the Response to OPM’s Latest Email Evidence a Turf War (Essay)
March 5, 2025
[Lawfare]
Miscellaneous
The Meaning of Article II and “Executive Power” To Trump (Essay)
March 20, 2025
[Lawfare]
A Trump Administration Plan to Crowdsource Deregulation? (Essay)
April 16, 2025
[Lawfare]
Did DOGE Take Credit for Spending Cuts Related to President Carter’s Death? (Essay)
February 19, 2025
[Lawfare]