EEOC denies halting federal class complaints

A labor union and two female prison guards sued the United States — United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for allegedly suspending all federal-sector class discrimination complaints, including their sexual harassment case. The EEOC, through Chief Operating Officer Sharon Rose, denied issuing such a directive, calling the suspension an isolated error by an administrative judge. The agency transferred the case to a new judge and issued scheduling orders, while the Justice Department asked plaintiffs to drop their injunction motion. Plaintiffs' attorneys dispute the EEOC's explanation, citing multiple stalled cases and the timing of the scheduling orders. The lawsuit is part of broader controversy over the EEOC's overhaul of civil rights enforcement under President Donald Trump and Chair Andrea R. Lucas.