News & Analysis as of

Civil Rights Act Affirmative Action

FordHarrison

Executive Order: Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy (April 23, 2025, President Donald J. Trump)

FordHarrison on

On April 23, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) titled Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy, which follows a string of prior EOs aimed at removing DEI programs, which we covered here and here....more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Former DOL Officials Urge Federal Contractors to Continue Lawful Diversity Practices Despite Trump Administration’s Efforts to End...

On April 15, 2025, a group of former U.S. Department of Labor officials issued an “open letter” urging federal contractors to continue voluntary diversity practices, including conducting self-assessments, despite the Trump...more

Roetzel & Andress

U.S. Department of Education Title VI Certification Requirement

Roetzel & Andress on

On April 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) sent a letter to state education agencies (SEAs) requiring them to certify compliance with federal civil rights laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of...more

Lathrop GPM

Tax-Exemption Implications of “Illegal DEI”

Lathrop GPM on

Recent Executive Orders issued by President Trump repeatedly refer to “illegal” diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) preferences and activities. ...more

Lathrop GPM

Dept. of Education Certification Requirement Tied to “Antidiscrimination Obligations” for Continued K-12 Federal Funding

Lathrop GPM on

On April 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a press release announcing the ED sent certification letters to state commissions that oversee K-12 State Education Agencies (SEAs), charging SEAs with the...more

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Affinity Groups Potentially Unlawful, According to Recent EEOC and DOJ Guidance

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP on

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on protected characteristics, including race and sex. However, Title VII does not define Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) in the...more

Womble Bond Dickinson

How to Remain Compliant: Navigating the Post-Affirmative Action Landscape for Federal Contractors

Womble Bond Dickinson on

On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs. Among other things, Executive Order 14173...more

Harris Beach Murtha PLLC

New EEOC Guidance Advises on Acceptable Workplace DEI Practices

The EEOC and Department of Justice have weighed in on DEI in the workplace. In two guidance documents, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) presented its stance for employers to steer clear of illegal...more

Epstein Becker & Green

EEOC Joins Forces with DOJ to Double Down on Opposition to DEI

Epstein Becker & Green on

Just days after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit stayed a preliminary injunction blocking executive orders that refer to the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion as “illegal DEI,” the U.S. Equal...more

Hogan Lovells

The EEOC publishes new Q&A addressing DEI-related discrimination

Hogan Lovells on

On March 19, 2025, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), issued a technical assistance Q&A guidance document entitled “What You Should Know About...more

Wiley Rein LLP

EEOC & DOJ Issue Guidance to Workers on Discrimination Related to DEI Programs

Wiley Rein LLP on

On March 19, 2025, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), jointly issued technical assistance documents “focused on educating the public about unlawful discrimination...more

FordHarrison

EEOC Exerts Pressure on Law Firms to Discontinue DEI

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On March 17, 2025, in an unprecedented action, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), under the direction of Acting Chair Andrea R. Lucas, issued 20 extensive letters to large, prominent law firms containing...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Removing Discrimination and Discriminatory Equity Ideology from the Foreign Service (Trump EO Tracker)

Directs the Secretary of State to remove the “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility” Core Precept from Foreign Service tenure and promotion criteria. It further directs that the U.S. government will not base Foreign...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

EEOC Answers Questions About What Constitutes Illegal DEI Programs

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released two technical assistance documents to explain what constitutes illegal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the workplace. ...more

ArentFox Schiff

Nonprofit’s Diversity Scholarship Program Challenged in Federal Court

ArentFox Schiff on

On March 5, Do No Harm filed a lawsuit against the American Chemical Society (ACS), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, challenging a scholarship program for undergraduate students from historically underrepresented groups in...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

DEI Injunction Terminated by Federal Court of Appeals Reinstating DEI Certification Requirement and Civil False Claims Act Risk

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As previously reported, one of the first executive orders (EO 14173) issued by President Trump was to rescind Executive Order 11246, issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson, which required federal contractors and subcontractors...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

New Administration Outlook: NADOHE Injunction on DEI Crackdown Is Stayed – Key Takeaways for Federal Grantees and Contractors

In an important development in the Trump Administration's campaign to extinguish DEI practices from the private sector, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit has stayed the district court's preliminary injunction in...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

U.S. Department of Education’s ‘Dear Colleague’ Letter Prohibiting DEI and FAQs Document Challenged in Federal Court

On March 5, 2025, the National Education Association (NEA) and its New Hampshire affiliate (NEA-NH) sued the U.S. Department of Education, challenging a recently issued “Dear Colleague Letter” (DCL) that informed schools that...more

Bricker Graydon LLP

U.S. Department of Education releases FAQ for February 14th Dear Colleague Letter

Bricker Graydon LLP on

On March 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document in connection with the February 14 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL). This document aims to clarify how...more

Whiteford

Employment Law Update: Supreme Court Hears Argument on Reverse Discrimination Claim with Implications for DEI

Whiteford on

Just as employers are reconsidering their approach to DEI and the myriad of potential risks such policies could present under current administration enforcement priorities, the Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a case...more

Littler

OCR Issues FAQs for Schools About Avoiding Racial Preferences Under Title VI

Littler on

After giving educational institutions two weeks to comply with the Department of Education’s Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), on February 28, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued Frequently Asked Questions About Racial...more

Berkshire

America First Legal Calls on OFCCP to Investigate Contractors

Berkshire on

America First Legal Foundation (AFL)—a nonprofit organization founded by current White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller—has made headlines calling for federal investigations of a wide range of U.S. companies,...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

A New Chapter for Educational Institutions: DOE Prohibits Use of Race in All Aspects of Student, Academic, Campus Life

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) directing educational institutions that they are prohibited from using race in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring,...more

Mayer Brown

16 AGs Issue Guidance on the “Continued Viability and Important Role” of DEI Efforts

Mayer Brown on

“To be clear: the Executive Order cannot and does not prohibit otherwise lawful practices and policies to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.” – 16 Democratic AGs...more

Quarles & Brady LLP

Office for Civil Rights Issues “Dear Colleague” Letter Aimed At Curbing Race-Based Decisions and Benefits At Federally Funded...

Quarles & Brady LLP on

On Friday, February 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued a “Dear Colleague” letter advising federally funded schools that it considers any decisions or benefits based on race,...more

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