Federal workers ask judge to block ‘proselytizing’ emails from USDA secretary

The employees say they could not avoid or opt out of increasingly religious emails U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins sent to the entire USDA workforce from her official government account. SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — Federal employees suing U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins over a series of “proselytizing” emails asked a federal judge Tuesday to block the secretary from sending religious communications from her official email account, arguing the messages pressured employees to conform to the secretary’s religious beliefs and made them feel unwelcome,“She is speaking on behalf of the federal government; she is using the federal government resources, the Office of the Secretary's email; she is addressing it to all USDA employees; nothing about her speech says it's a private expression,” plaintiff’s attorney Amy Tai of Americans United for Separation of Church and State told U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson.“We are not trying to limit her expression or practice of her faith. We want to limit what she can and cannot do as secretary of agriculture in the workplace.”The seven named plaintiffs, described as “a group of multifaith and nonreligious USDA employees,” claim Rollins has been violating the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by sending a series of “increasingly proselytizing communications to the entire USDA workforce, promoting her own preferred brand of Christian beliefs and theology to the captive audience of employees.”These messages culminated, they say, with a 2026 Easter Sunday email in which Rollins extolled “the greatest story ever told, the foundation of our faith, and the abiding hope of all mankind” and described her employees as “like the very first disciples to encounter our risen Lord ... almost 2,000 years ago.”Tai argued there is a power imbalance between Rollins and the USDA employees receiving her emails, as the employees had no choice but to read Rollins’ proselytizing messages as part of their job.“These are the same emails that are coming from the Office of the Secretary's email account, the same email that is sending important policy decisions by USDA, sending emails about shutdowns and reorganizations. When they see an email from the Office of the Secretary, they have to read it,” she said. Employees were a captive audience, Tai explained, telling the judge that when one plaintiff attempted to opt out of the emails, her supervisor rebuffed her and told her that elevating her concerns could cause trouble. In contrast, Elisabeth Neylan, representing the Department of Justice, argued Rollins’ emails were not proselytizing because they fit within the history and tradition of public officials invoking religion in official communications. Rollins included both religious and nonreligious references in her messages and, she added, did not ask employees to take part in any religious acts. “[The emails] simply expressed well wishes to those celebrating the holidays and shared the beliefs of the secretary and those celebrating the holidays in a non-proselytizing way,” she said.Thompson asked Neylan how Rollins’ emails fit with the USDA’s November 2025 guidance on religious expression in the workplace, which included “important boundaries” regarding religious conversations such as “must stop if a colleague asks you to stop” and “cannot use official authority to pressure subordinates.”“The effort that was put into this memorandum to allow religious autonomy, but also some guidelines on expressive conduct, I think that would also include emails,” the Joe Biden appointee said.She added: “It starts with leadership in terms of saying what you mean and cooperating in the same tenor.”Thompson did not indicate when she would release a ruling, calling the case “clearly in the gray.”DOJ representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Rollins, who served in several roles during the first Trump administration, was confirmed as agriculture secretary in February 2025. She makes no secret of her Christian faith, often quoting from the Bible in her social media posts.The National Federation of Federal Employees, which represents about 100,000 federal workers, including roughly 90,000 USDA employees, joins the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Bryan Schwartz in Oakland represents them, along with attorneys from Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Democracy Forward Foundation.“Secretary Rollins is abusing her public position to proselytize to employees who report to her. This violates the establishment clause and threatens important pillars of our democracy,” Sarah Goetz, senior counsel at Democracy Forward, said in a press release. “We will not allow Christian nationalism to pervert our democracy or our Constitution, and we remain committed to fighting on behalf of the nonpartisan civil service.” Follow @mhattridge_ Subscribe to our free newsletters Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts. Additional Reads