Judge orders DOJ to allow disabled lawyers to telework
A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Justice Department to restore telework as a reasonable accommodation for two of its lawyers with disabilities. (Shutterstock Image)
Kimberly Panian and Hoi Yee Baxter have sued the Justice Department, claiming a “no-telework” policy at the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review endangers the health of disabled employees.
Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted a preliminary injunction against the Justice Department.
The back-to-work policy came when President Donald Trump took office last year and ordered federal workers across the government to return to office full time, according to a report by Bloomberg Law.
Panian has a combination of disabilities including Type I diabetes, according to the June 3 lawsuit, and has relied on telework to accommodate her disabilities since 2020. Baxter is being treated for Stage IV lung cancer and is immunocompromised.
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