Overview
- The American Federation of Government Employees filed suit on Tuesday in U.S. District Court asking a judge to vacate an unpublished EEOC directive and force the agency to resume processing federal-sector class EEO complaints.
- An EEOC administrative judge issued a notice on Dec. 10, 2025 ordering all processing of federal-sector class cases paused “until further notice,” cancelling deadlines, hearings and discovery in those matters.
- The suit centers on a certified March 2025 class of roughly 182–200 Bureau of Prisons correctional officers who allege widespread sexual harassment at the Federal Correctional Complex in Pollock, La., and says the pause leaves members unable to seek injunctive relief or opt out to pursue separate claims.
- Plaintiffs say the EEOC has not published or explained the suspension, the Department of Justice declined to comment, and attorneys report at least five other federal-sector class complaints, including cases against the FBI and the Department of Defense, are stalled.
- The complaint argues the EEOC violated its own regulations and the Administrative Procedure Act by imposing a blanket, unexplained suspension and warns that forcing affected workers into fresh federal-court suits would require rebuilding class certification and evidence and likely take years.