News & Analysis as of

Employer Liability Issues Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I)

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Mid-Year 2025

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The last six months have been a tumultuous time for employers. The pace and degree of change is creating new challenges — and ongoing uncertainty. Our Mid-Year 2025 report sifts through the volume of federal-level executive...more

Conn Maciel Carey LLP

Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services: What the Supreme Court’s Unanimous Ruling Means for Employers and DEI Policies

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Reshaping the litigation landscape for workplace discrimination claims, last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Ames v. Ohio Dept. of Youth Servs., 145 S. Ct. 1540 (June 5, 2025), that plaintiffs bringing so-called...more

DLA Piper

OFCCP director urges federal contractors to voluntarily report on affirmative action program wind-downs

DLA Piper on

On June 27, 2025, Director of the US Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Catherine Eschbach issued a letter to federal contractors asking them to volunteer information on their efforts...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Blowing the Whistle: What Employers Should Know About DEI & the False Claims Act

The U.S. Department of Justice announced its new Civil Rights Fraud Initiative with the goal to identify entities defrauding the government by knowingly violating civil rights laws. The DOJ is specifically targeting employers...more

Ice Miller

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

Ice Miller on

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

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

California District Court Partially Enjoins Application of DEI and “Gender Ideology” Executive Orders Against Coalition of...

Recently, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in the case of San Francisco AIDS Foundation v. Trump temporarily halted enforcement of parts of the diversity, equity and inclusion and “gender...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Water Cooler Talk: ‘Late Night’ Shows DEI Is More Than Optics

Troutman Pepper Locke on

The 2019 film “Late Night,” written by and starring Mindy Kaling, tells the story of a late-night talk show host, Katherine Newbury, played by Emma Thompson, whose all-male, all-white writing staff scrambles to add a female...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Supreme Court Strikes Down Sixth Circuit Rule Heightening Discrimination Standard for Members of Majority Groups

Troutman Pepper Locke on

A recent Supreme Court decision clarified that discrimination claims brought by members of majority groups in so-called “reverse discrimination” cases cannot be subject to a heightened evidentiary burden. In Ames v. Ohio...more

Rumberger | Kirk

U.S. Supreme Court Denies Heightened Standard in “Reverse Discrimination” Claims

Rumberger | Kirk on

A recent Supreme Court decision is reshaping how employers must think about workplace discrimination—confirming that all employees, majority or minority, are held to the same legal standard under Title VII. This shift could...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

DOJ Civil Rights Fraud Initiative Will Use the False Claims Act to Target Antisemitism and DEI Programs

At the end of May, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the formation of a Civil Rights Fraud Initiative to “utilize the False Claims Act to investigate and, as appropriate, pursue claims against any recipient of federal...more

Venable LLP

The Supreme Court Says Employers Can Be Liable for Discriminating Against Majority Groups

Venable LLP on

Earlier this month, in a long-awaited ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a straight white woman who claimed to have lost out on two positions to LGBT candidates and was also demoted in favor of them. ...more

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

SCOTUS Unanimously Rejects Heightened Burden for Majority-Group Discrimination Claims

On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of petitioner, Marlean Ames, a heterosexual woman, who commenced a reverse discrimination case against her former employer, the Ohio Department of Youth...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

What Do Recent DEI Training-Focused Federal Agency Guidance and Court Decisions Mean for Employers?

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Two new technical-assistance documents jointly released by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) warn that common diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-training practices —...more

Blank Rome LLP

Breaking—Supreme Court Unanimously Lowers Bar for “Reverse Discrimination” Claims: Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services...

Blank Rome LLP on

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark, unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, 605 U.S. ___ (2025) on June 5, 2025, fundamentally altering the landscape for “reverse discrimination” claims under...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

DOJ Civil Rights Fraud Initiative Ups FCA Risks for Federal Fund Recipients Employing Unlawful DEI Programs

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a memorandum introducing the “Civil Rights Fraud Initiative” on May 19, 2025. The memorandum directs all Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys to use the False Claims Act (FCA)...more

Fisher Phillips

Workplace Law Update: 10 Essential Items on Your June To-Do List

Fisher Phillips on

Here are the top items you should tackle in June, based on the latest workplace law developments and upcoming critical compliance dates...more

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

The Department of Justice Slams Open the Door for False Claims Act Enforcement of DEI Initiatives

The Trump Administration has continued to target diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) initiatives as an affront to civil rights legislation. In a previous post, we discussed President Trump’s Executive Order 14173 – titled...more

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

DOJ Civil Rights Fraud Initiative Signals Expansive Enforcement Threat for Employers Receiving Federal Funds

On May 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched its Civil Rights Fraud Initiative. This is a coordinated enforcement effort aimed at using the False Claims Act (FCA) to investigate and, where appropriate,...more

Lathrop GPM

Federal Agencies Issue Guidance Identifying DEI Policies and Practices That May Be Unlawful

Lathrop GPM on

Last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) issued guidance that aims to educate the public about conduct and programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)...more

Littler

Annual Report on EEOC Developments: Fiscal Year 2024 - An Annual Report on EEOC Charges, Litigation, Regulatory Developments and...

Littler on

INTRODUCTION - This Annual Report on EEOC Developments—Fiscal Year 2024 (hereafter “Report”), our fourteenth annual publication, is designed as a comprehensive guide to significant Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

[Webinar] The Future of DEI for California Employers in a Shifting Legal Landscape - April 30th, 10:00 am - 11:00 am PT

CDF Labor Law LLP on

Join a panel of CDF attorneys for an insightful webinar addressing the current state of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives for California employers in light of recent federal developments. The Trump...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Key Legal Issues Facing U.S. Government Contractors in 2025

As the regulatory environment continues to evolve in the new administration, U.S. government contractors are facing an increasingly complex array of legal challenges. Staying compliant and competitive requires close attention...more

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP

What Is Illegal DEI? Employers and Workers Are Still Looking for Answers

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP on

Five years ago, companies were eager to adopt diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Now, the pendulum has swung in the other direction. DEI programs are under attack, and employers are trying to figure out what...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

EEOC Technical Assistance Documents on DEI Programs Increase Pressure on Employers

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On March 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Public Affairs issued a press release announcing two technical assistance documents jointly released by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Navigating DEI in a Shifting Legal Landscape

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Workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs face more scrutiny than ever in light of President Trump’s recent executive orders regarding DEI policies and programs across the public and private sectors, recent...more

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