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Husch Blackwell LLP

DOJ Issues Sweeping Guidance on "Illegal DEI": Key Legal Risks and Compliance Priorities for Federal Funds Recipients

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On July 29, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued updated guidance setting forth the administration’s position on how federal antidiscrimination laws—including Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and...more

K&L Gates LLP

DOJ Guidance Aims to Clarify "Illegal DEI," Raising the Stakes for Potential Investigations and Enforcement

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Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memorandum on 29 July 2025 titled “Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination” (Memorandum) that provides new, detailed guidance on a key question that had...more

Arnall Golden Gregory LLP

DOJ Issues Expansive Guidance on Unlawful Discrimination and DEI Programs

On July 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice issued its most sweeping guidance yet on what it considers unlawful discrimination in federally funded programs. The memorandum, signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, clarifies...more

Epstein Becker & Green

From Best Practices to Enforcement: Decoding DOJ’s July 29 Anti-Discrimination Guidance

On July 29, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memorandum to all federal agencies providing guidance addressing “unlawful discrimination” on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or other protected...more

Goodwin

DOJ Releases Memo Regarding Unlawful Discrimination by Federal Funding Recipients

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On July 29, 2025, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued further guidance regarding the application of federal antidiscrimination laws to programs and initiatives undertaken by recipients of federal funding, in the form of...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

DOJ Provides Insight Into Unlawful Discriminatory Practices, Highlighting Enforcement Risks for Federal Funding Recipients

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On July 29, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memorandum offering specific examples of what the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) considers to be unlawful discriminatory policies and practices under federal civil...more

Fenwick & West LLP

The DOJ’s New DEI Guidance: What It Means for Businesses, Contractors, and Whistleblowers

Fenwick & West LLP on

Since returning to office in January 2025, President Donald Trump has made scrutinizing DEI programs a central policy priority, including through the following pronouncements...more

Phelps Dunbar

DOJ Issues New Guidance for Federal Funding Recipients Regarding Unlawful Discrimination in DEI Programs

Phelps Dunbar on

From its inception, the new Trump Administration issued executive orders that were critical of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs. For example, as we previously addressed, Executive Order 14173 prohibited...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Justice Department’s “Civil Rights Fraud Initiative” Increases False Claims Act Risks Related to Alleged Discrimination

Vinson & Elkins LLP on

On May 19, 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a memorandum announcing the creation of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Fraud Initiative (the Initiative), which directs DOJ attorneys to utilize the...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

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

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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

Wiley Rein LLP

DOJ Civil Rights Fraud Initiative Targets "Illegal DEI" Programs via the False Claims Act

Wiley Rein LLP on

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the creation of the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative in a Memorandum issued on May 19, 2025. According to the Memorandum, the Initiative is an enforcement effort that will use the...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

Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP

DOJ Civil Rights Fraud Initiative Set to Target Federal Government Contractors and Grantees

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative (the “Initiative”), which was announced on May 19, 2025 via Memorandum from Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche, and a related press release...more

Buchalter

DOJ’s New Civil Rights Fraud Initiative: What Organizations Should Know

Buchalter on

The Department of Justice has launched an aggressive new enforcement strategy that could dramatically influence how organizations approach diversity programs, student policies, and civil rights compliance. On May 19, 2025,...more

Saul Ewing LLP

DOJ Announces New Initiative to Use False Claims Act to Enforce Administration’s Civil Rights Agenda, Targeting Recipients of...

Saul Ewing LLP on

On May 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a memorandum and accompanying press release announcing its “Civil Rights Fraud Initiative,” designed to vigorously enforce the federal False Claims Act (“FCA”)...more

Fenwick & West LLP

DOJ to Use False Claims Act to Crack Down on Illegal DEI

Fenwick & West LLP on

On May 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a new unit, the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, which will utilize the False Claims Act (FCA) to investigate and, as appropriate, pursue claims against any...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

DOJ Ramps Up Anti-DEI Enforcement

Foley & Lardner LLP on

On May 19, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, outlining its plan to use the civil False Claims Act (FCA) to investigate and pursue claims against those who “certify compliance...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

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Launch of the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative

Shortly after taking office, President Trump signed the executive order titled, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity. As discussed previously, that order, among other things, directed the...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

Federal District Court Temporarily Blocks DOL from Requiring DEI Certification Provisions

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On March 27, 2025, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted a nationwide temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing the Department of Labor (DOL) from requiring federal contractors and...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Chicago Federal District Court Issues Targeted Order Enjoining Department of Labor from Presenting DEI Certifications to Federal...

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On March 27, 2025, a federal district court in Chicago issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the Department of Labor from implementing key provisions from two of President Trump’s Executive Orders issued in...more

Mayer Brown

AG Bondi Issues Memorandum Entitled “Ending Illegal DEI and DEIA Discrimination and Preferences”

Mayer Brown on

On February 5, 2025, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memorandum titled “Ending Illegal DEI and DEIA Discrimination and Preferences.” The memorandum advises that the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights...more

McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC

What U.S. Employers Need to Know about Upcoming DEI Executive Orders

On the first day of President Trump’s second administration, he signed the Ending Racial and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing Executive Order. This order provides direction to eliminate any and all Diversity,...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

New Administration Outlook: What Should Federal Contractors Do With Their DEI Programs?

Recipients of federal funding now have broad mandates but little guidance from the Trump Administration about employer DEI programs. Trump's new Executive Order "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based...more

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