Why It Matters

Meltsner Strategies LLC terminated its representation of the Association of Administrative Law Judges, showing $19,000 in charges in the third quarter of 2026. The association has actively lobbied on federal employee benefits, competing proposals in the House and Senate, and specific threats to administrative law judges' employment status.

Meltsner Strategies had been the association's sole representative listed in recent filings, with Jim Meltsner, the firm's president, serving as the listed lobbyist across multiple filing periods.

Broader Context

The Association of Administrative Law Judges has been fighting a multiyear battle over the employment status and benefits of federal administrative law judges, particularly those in the Social Security Administration. More than 80 percent of SSA judges are active association members.

The group's legislative priorities shifted across 2025 and into 2026. In the first quarter of 2025, the association lobbied on H.R. 2550 (Protect America's Workforce Act), which passed the House on December 11, 2025. The bill has been received in the Senate but has not been enacted to date.

In the second quarter of 2025, the association's focus broadened to include federal employee benefits more generally. The group opposed cuts included in H.R. 1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act), which was signed into law on July 4, 2025. Specifically, the association lobbied against provisions to shift federal retirement calculations from High-3 to High-5, end the FERS annuity supplement, increase Merit System Protection Board appeal fees, add a 5 percent payroll tax toward federal retirement without added benefits, and charge a 10 percent administrative fee on union dues payroll deductions.

The group has pursued administrative law judge employment protections for years with mixed results. The association had lobbied in support of the Administrative Law Judges Competitive Service Restoration Act (H.R. 4448) in 2022, which would have restored ALJs to the competitive civil service. Similarly, the association supported S. 3387, a bill to restore administrative law judges to the competitive service, but that measure did not pass.

The Bottom Line

The association's decision to end the engagement comes as federal employees and their advocates face sustained pressure on benefits and employment protections.

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