Government employees asked a federal judge Wednesday to block the Trump administration from encouraging job applicants to demonstrate their loyalty to the president’s agenda.
In a lawsuit filed earlier this month, a group of federal labor unions argues that the White House’s “merit hiring plan” violates applicants’ First Amendment rights. The plan, put forth by the Office of Personnel Management, includes the following short essay question:
“How would you help advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.”
The administration rolled out the question in May as part of its hiring plan. But following an outcry, the White House said answering the questions was optional and claimed applicants wouldn’t damage their prospects if they skipped them.
Democracy Forward, a legal group assisting the unions in the lawsuit, says the “loyalty question” is currently part of more than 6,000 federal job postings.
