USDA Workers Sue Rollins Over Easter Message, Alleging First Amendment Violations for 19,000-Employee Union
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · May 13
USDA Workers Sue Rollins Over Easter Message, Alleging First Amendment Violations for 19,000-Employee Union
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · May 13
Seven USDA workers and the National Federation of Federal Employees sued Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in federal court, seeking to stop religious messages they say made staff feel excluded and pressured over their beliefs.
The lawsuit centers on an Easter message and what plaintiffs call an increasingly proselytizing pattern of department-wide communications promoting Rollins' Christian beliefs to a captive workforce.
Filed in the Northern District of California, the case alleges violations of both the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act and asks the court to declare the messages unlawful.
The union represents 19,000 USDA employees, and the case is backed by Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Democracy Forward, widening the dispute beyond the seven individual plaintiffs.
Rollins regularly discusses her faith, posts scripture on official social media accounts and shares images of prayer at USDA facilities, underscoring a broader clash over religion in the federal workplace.
When does a leader's personal faith become unconstitutional government endorsement in the workplace?
Could this lawsuit reshape the 'wall of separation' for all government agencies?