Lawsuit Claims Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins' Holiday Emails Violated Establishment Clause

A federal lawsuit filed on May 13, 2026 accuses Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins of proselytizing federal employees through official emails that invoked Christian religious themes. The National Federation of Federal Employees and seven USDA employees brought the case in California, charging that Rollins violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

" Rollins sent a Thanksgiving email crediting "gratitude towards a loving God," a Christmas email writing that "God gave us the greatest gift possible," and an Easter email describing the story of Jesus' resurrection as the "greatest story ever told," according to the complaint.

The secretary only acknowledged Christian holidays in her emails. "Our nation's Founders -- having learned from the harmful effects of past religious conflicts -- adopted the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to safeguard against government promoting any favored religion or imposing its preferred religious practice on its citizens to protect religious freedom for all," the lawsuit states.

" One employee claimed she was told it would "create trouble" for her if she asked to be removed from the email distribution list.

Employees said they feared retaliation if they complained about the messages. " ABC News reported that Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins spoke at a press conference at the Department of Justice on May 4, 2026 in Washington. A photo from that appearance is credited to Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images.