US judge blocks Trump administration's 'loyalty' question for job applicants

A federal judge in Boston has prevented the Trump administration from continuing to ask civil service job applicants a question deemed partisan by unions. US District Judge George O Toole ruled in favor of three unions representing government workers who challenged the administration's requirement for applicants to write essays on how they would advance Trump's policies.

The American Federation of Government Employees and other unions argued the question politically motivated the hiring process, attempting to assess applicants' support for the president. O Toole, a Clinton appointee, stated the question had been used for various positions, from air traffic control specialists to nuclear materials couriers.

He found the unions' interpretation that the question sought to determine applicants' political views to be reasonable. The judge halted the question's use on the grounds it likely violated the First Amendment's speech rights under the Constitution. Lawyers for the unions welcomed the ruling, noting over 70,000 federal job postings had included the question, undermining the merit-based hiring system.

The unions include the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the National Association of Government Employees. The Office of Personnel Management, which defended the question as optional, did not respond to a request for comment.