Judicial Branch Instructs Employees To Ignore Mass DOGE Email
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/judicial-branch-instructs-employees-to-ignore-mass-doge-email/ar-AA1zCLum?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=b6b772b66c83433a89a5f65c91e747c3&ei=16
Story by Josh Kovensky (23 Feb 2025)
The federal court system told staff on Saturday evening to ignore DOGE's latest message, which demanded that federal employees submit a bulleted list documenting their recent activities.
Multiple staffers across the judiciary, including federal judges, received the DOGE message on Saturday, sources told TPM. The message was sent from an Office of Personnel Management email address.
In response, the judiciary's Administrative Office sent a message addressed to all staff titled "OPM Email about Accomplishments."
That message acknowledged that "some judges and judiciary staff" received the DOGE message, and told staffers that "we suggest that no action be taken."
"We will be communicating with OPM about this email," the message reads.
The Saturday DOGE email marks another intrusion by the executive branch on the staid, closed-off world of the judicial branch. In this case, it featured the Trump administration telling judiciary employees — including federal judges — that they must report a list of five weekly accomplishments. Elon Musk said on social media that those who did not would face immediate removal, though the emails sent to federal workers did not go that far. It's an absurd situation, and an example of the reckless approach that Trump and Musk have taken as they carry out a demolition job targeting wide swaths of the government. In this case, they have no legal authority over the judicial branch employees who received the messages.
How long before they start sending e-mails asking to "List five things that make you a good person, and qualified for the job you're doing!"
I kind of get the point of this. Government inefficiency and bloat is a worldwide thing. I do know why this has been set up. In the UK, the Civil Service is full of people who don't really do anything other than take a salary for doing not really anything. But the whole "Sledgehammer to crack a nut" approach is a bit silly.
Your system is fundamentally different to ours, though. And this smells like pushing things a bit too far to try and manipulate impartial people.
It is more fear and intimidation. Just like the early retirement and voluntary administrative leave. People decided they wanted no part of this and opted out of their jobs and took the settlement offers.
The motive behind all of this is so that those who oppose Trump, or fear retribution of any kind will leave voluntarily. His goal all along is to make sure that everyone in key positions is loyal to him and only him.
I think that is how the German SS got started too.