In an update to enforcement of the Hatch Act, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) on May 20 issued new guidelines aimed at clarifying and tightening the rules governing political activities by federal employees.
The Hatch Act restricts the political activities of government employees to ensure a nonpartisan federal workforce. The Act has seen evolving interpretations and enforcement mechanisms since its enactment in 1939.
The new advisory opinion from the OSC head Hampton Dellinger outlines several key changes that will impact how these regulations are applied, particularly concerning White House personnel and the display of political items in federal workplaces. Mr. Dellinger was recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate and took office in March 2024, with prior work overseeing the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Policy….
