"As Trump appointees take their new positions in the federal bureaucracy, a legal battle is escalating over alleged intimidation of the civil servants who make the government function.

The nonprofit United to Protect Democracy is suing the Departments of Energy and of Health and Human Services for records that would document or disprove such allegations. One of the group's lawyers, Ben Berwick, wrote in an online post that the goal is "protecting the civil service from purges, intimidation or politicization."

The DOE suit seeks documents concerning an attempt by the Trump transition team to get the names of civil servants and contractors who worked on climate change programs. The HHS case seeks similar documents that would have targeted employees who worked or expressed views on the Affordable Care Act or abortion rights."

Peter Overby reports for NPR May 1, 2017. [2]