News & Analysis as of

Civil Rights Act Affirmative Action

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

Attorney General Issues New Guidance on Federal Antidiscrimination Compliance

In a recent memorandum for all federal agencies, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has issued new guidance regarding unlawful discrimination. This new guidance has potentially far-reaching implications for businesses and...more

Bracewell LLP

Diversity Programs Could Mean Defunding, New Attorney General Memorandum Warns

Bracewell LLP on

Federal law has long required recipients of federal funds to comply with anti-discrimination laws. Over the last decade, initiatives under the label Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) became a widespread vehicle for...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

DOJ Releases DEI Guidance

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

Attorney General Pam Bondi issued guidance dated July 29, 2025, to all federal agencies and recipients of federal funding, reiterating the Trump Administration’s January directive that all programs, policies, and activities —...more

Foster Swift Collins & Smith

DEIA Executive Orders and the Consequences for Educational Institutions

On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14173: Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunities (“EO 14173”). EO 14173 aims to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) and...more

DCI Consulting

[Webinar] Summer 2025 Update: Affirmative Action for Federal Contractors - July 23rd, 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm EDT

DCI Consulting on

The first half of 2025 brought unprecedented changes for federal contractors seeking to comply with federal affirmative action requirements. The rescission of Executive Order 11246 via Executive Order 14173 upended decades of...more

Ice Miller

Anti-DEI Enforcement Takes Shape: DOJ and States Apply New Vision of Civil Rights

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At the beginning of the second Trump administration, the President and Attorney General Pam Bondi indicated they would use the levers of government to end DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies and programs. The...more

Smith Anderson

SCOTUS Rejects Extra Burden for Majority-Group Plaintiffs in Title VII Cases

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On June 5, 2025, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, significantly impacting how majority-group discrimination claims are evaluated under Title VII of the...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

Reverse Discrimination Lawsuits Are So Back

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On June 5, 2025, a unanimous Supreme Court eliminated the requirement for a higher evidentiary standard for majority plaintiffs (white, male, heterosexual, etc.) who claim discrimination under Title VII (also known as reverse...more

Arnall Golden Gregory LLP

Supreme Court Eliminates Heightened Standard for “Reverse Discrimination” Claims

On June 5, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously ruled in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services that plaintiffs alleging employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are not...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

SCOTUS Clarifies Standard for Evaluating “Reverse” Discrimination

On June 5, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States resolved the split among federal circuits and held that the same standard used to evaluate claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to all...more

Williams Mullen

Supreme Court Rejects Heightened Evidentiary Standards for So-Called “Reverse Discrimination” Claims

Williams Mullen on

On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that plaintiffs bringing discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) cannot be required to satisfy a heightened evidentiary...more

Carlton Fields

DOJ Forms Civil Rights Fraud Initiative: A New Branch of False Claims Act Enforcement

Carlton Fields on

On May 19, 2025, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the formation of a Civil Rights Fraud Initiative “to investigate and, as appropriate, pursue claims against any recipient of federal funds that knowingly...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

The False Claims Act Enters the School Zone

Troutman Pepper Locke on

On May 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the launch of a Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, which will use the False Claims Act (FCA) as a basis for investigating the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Achieving DEI Compliance…On Your Website

Foley & Lardner LLP on

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) efforts, and the term itself, have become increasingly scrutinized and subjected to legal challenges by both government and private actors, making an understanding of the current DEI...more

Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC

President Trump Signs Executive Order Aimed at Eliminating Disparate-Impact Liability

On April 23, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy” (the Order). Through this Executive Order, and accompanying Fact Sheet, the Trump Administration...more

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”

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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

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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

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