Church-State Clash at USDA

A group of USDA employees are suing Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins with allegations she violated the First Amendment with religious messaging in agencywide emails.

Who filed suit: The lawsuit was filed by the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), which represents more than 19K USDA employees.

Employees speak out: Plaintiffs are listed in the suit as a group of multi-faith and non-religious employees who feel “excluded and unwelcome” by Christian messages in Rollins’ emails.

Soundbite: “When the secretary sends an email, I have to read it. And when those emails are telling me what to believe, they make me feel unwelcome in an agency I’ve dedicated ten years to.” — Ethan Roberts, USDA Agricultural Research Service employee

Emails under fire: Attorneys are calling attention to four emails (most of them holiday messages) Rollins sent between July 2025 and April 2026.

The main concern raised centers on the secretary’s Easter message, which included language that appeared to assume recipients were Christian.

The case alleges these 1A rights were violated:

• The Establishment Clause, which bars the government from promoting religion or pressuring people to participate in it.

• The Administrative Procedure Act, which governs how federal agencies and officials use their authority in communications.

Still to come: Following criticism over Trump officials’ Christmas posts on government accounts last winter, NFFE v. USDA is the latest church-state dispute and is now headed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.