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Federal worker who went rogue over Trump order hopes her email ‘lights a fire under people’

  • Karen Ortiz, an administrative judge at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, sent an email urging colleagues to resist compliance with directives she deemed illegal regarding LGBTQ+ cases, citing the agency's mission as her motivation.
  • Following her email call to action, Ortiz faced disciplinary action with revoked email privileges and a reprimand, yet expressed no regrets about her actions, considering them protected as whistleblower activity.
  • The email received significant attention online, accumulating over 10,000 upvotes on Reddit, with many praising Ortiz as a courageous figure against government changes impacting civil rights.
  • Ortiz emphasized the need for solidarity in support of the EEOC's mission to protect workers, highlighting the challenges faced by her colleagues who prioritize job security over speaking out.
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33 Articles

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Inc.Inc.

Meet the Federal Bureaucrat Who’s Become the Face of DOGE Resistance

Karen Ortiz, an administrative judge at the EEOC, went public with her concerns about mass firings and adminstration efforts to pause all LGBTQ discrimination cases, achieving an unusual moment of celebrity.

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PBS NewsHourPBS NewsHour
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UpstractUpstract

Federal worker who went rogue against DOGE says ‘I hope that it lights a fire under people’

To billionaire Elon Musk and his cost-cutting team at the Department of Government Efficiency, Karen Ortiz may just be one of many faceless bureaucrats. But to some of her colleagues, she is giving a voice to those who feel they can’t speak out.

·Washington, United States
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Australian Financial ReviewAustralian Financial Review

Jun Bei Liu: How I learnt to speak up

The co-founder and portfolio manager at TenCap never felt she could express her opinion. That changed, although she says she still lives with imposter syndrome.

·Sydney, Australia
Read Full Article
Anchorage Daily NewsAnchorage Daily News

Federal worker who went rogue over Trump order hopes her email ‘lights a fire under people’

Karen Ortiz’s employer, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, revoked her email privileges for about a week and issued her a written reprimand for “discourteous conduct.”

·Anchorage, United States
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FortuneFortune

Administrative judge who called on colleagues to ‘resist’ Trump’s ‘illegal mandates’ becomes federal worker folk hero

“I know I take a great personal risk in sending out this message,” Karen Ortiz wrote.

·New York, United States
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The IndependentThe Independent

The federal worker taking on Donald Trump and his ‘illegal mandates’

In an email, she called on colleagues to ‘resist.’ Then it was ‘mysteriously’ deleted

·London, United Kingdom
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79% Center
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U.S. News broke the news in New York, United States on Monday, March 10, 2025.
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