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Civil Rights Act Affirmative Action Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College

Offit Kurman

New DOJ Memo Addresses Legality of DEI Programs for Federal Funding Recipients

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On July 30, 2025, the Department of Justice released a memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi offering guidance to federal agencies and recipients of federal funding regarding practices that the administration views as...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

Carlton Fields

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

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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

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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

Roetzel & Andress

U.S. Department of Education Title VI Certification Requirement

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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

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

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

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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

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

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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

Littler

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

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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

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

Quarles & Brady LLP

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

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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

Troutman Pepper Locke

OCR’s Directive on Race-Conscious Policies in Higher Education

Troutman Pepper Locke on

On February 14, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (DOE) issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), which calls for educational institutions to immediately cease race-conscious practices in student...more

Venable LLP

This is Not a Drill: Trump Administration 'Dear Colleague' Letter Virtually Eliminates Consideration of Race in Higher Education

Venable LLP on

On February 14, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a new "Dear Colleague" letter to "clarify and reaffirm the nondiscrimination obligations of schools and other entities that receive federal financial assistance...more

Morgan Lewis

US Department of Education Issues Sweeping Guidance on Race-Conscious Practices By Academic Institutions

Morgan Lewis on

The US Department of Education’s (the Department’s) Office for Civil Rights issued a sweeping “Dear Colleague” letter on February 14, 2025 outlining a new zero-tolerance policy for the consideration of race in any regard by...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

U.S. Department of Education Releases Dear Colleague Letter Addressing the Use of Race in Education, Announces Enforcement...

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On February 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) concerning discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in K-12 and higher education. The DCL articulates the...more

Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC

OCR Issues Dear Colleague Letter Addressing DEI Programs Under Title VI

On Jan. 21, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO), “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” Broadly speaking, the EO purported to prohibit what it characterized as unlawful...more

Roetzel & Andress

U.S. Department of Education Releases Guidance on DEI Programs in Schools Receiving Federal Funds

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The legality of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) Programs has come under immense scrutiny beginning with the change in presidential administration. On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued executive order 14173...more

McGlinchey Stafford

Trump on Education: DOE Targets DEI, Threatens Federal Funding

McGlinchey Stafford on

On February 14, 2024, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the Department of Education (DOE) issued a “Dear Colleague” letter threatening the federal funding of any academic institution that considers race in any manner...more

Littler

U.S. Department of Education’s New “Dear Colleague” Letter Targets DEI Programs and Signals New Era of Title VI Enforcement

Littler on

On February 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a “Dear Colleague” Letter (DCL) and emailed it to K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions around the country. The DCL...more

Miller Nash LLP

Challenges for Education Institutions Continue: New “Dear Colleague Letter” Targets Educational Equity Efforts

Miller Nash LLP on

On Friday, February 14, 2025, the United States Department of Education (DOE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) setting out its interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,...more

Woods Rogers

Dear Colleague: Watch Out

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In a tersely worded “Dear Colleague” letter dated February 14, 2025 (pdf), the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) signaled its intent to combat “pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and...more

Baker Donelson

Unpacking the U.S. Attorney General's "Ending Illegal DEI and DEIA Discrimination Preferences" Memo

Baker Donelson on

The U.S. Attorney General's Office issued a Memorandum, on February 5, 2025, to the employees of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) directing the DOJ Civil Rights Division to "investigate, eliminate, and penalize illegal...more

Clark Hill PLC

Using the First Amendment to Uphold DEI Initiatives

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In Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard Coll., 600 U.S. 181 (2023), the Supreme Court all but ended affirmative action and held, inter alia, that race-conscious admissions policies in higher...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

What to Know About the War Being Waged Against DEI

Can you still have DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs? How about affirmative action plans? The Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard garnered national attention in holding...more

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