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Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College Civil Rights Act Employment Discrimination

Offit Kurman

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

Offit Kurman on

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

Smith Anderson on

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

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

Jackson Lewis P.C.

U.S. Supreme Court Reverses ‘Reverse’ Employment Discrimination Pleading Standard

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the “background circumstances” rule in “reverse” employment discrimination claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in a unanimous decision overturning...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

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

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

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

Cozen O'Connor

Costco Urged by Republican AGs to Repeal DEI Policies

Cozen O'Connor on

A group of 19 Republican AGs announced that they have sent a letter to Costco Wholesale Corporation, warning that its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies may violate state and federal civil rights laws prohibiting...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

New Executive Order Targets Federal DEI Practices

CDF Labor Law LLP on

On January 21, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order entitled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” (the “Order”). The Order states that over 60 years following the enactment...more

Butler Snow LLP

Trump and DEI: What Does a Second Term Mean for Employers?

Butler Snow LLP on

In the flurry of executive orders issued shortly after being sworn for a second term, President Donald Trump issued two executive orders and one presidential action dismantling all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)...more

McGlinchey Stafford

Will DEI Programs Become Extinct Under the Trump Administration?

McGlinchey Stafford on

In an effort to embrace diversity and inclusion, many employers established Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. The look of these programs varied from company to company; however, many of the programs...more

ArentFox Schiff

What Employers and Nonprofits Should Know About Trump’s Executive Order Banning Diversity Preferences

ArentFox Schiff on

Following his inauguration on January 20, President Trump signed a slew of executive orders, including a handful related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives....more

DCI Consulting

President Trump Revokes Executive Order 11246

DCI Consulting on

Last night, President Trump revoked Executive Order 11246 with a new Order titled, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity." This new Order effectively ends affirmative action in employment while...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

State Attorneys General Clash Over the Legality of DEI Initiatives

Husch Blackwell LLP on

From Congress’ recently proposed “Dismantle DEI Act of 2024” to the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit’s decision permitting mandatory diversity training by employers, diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) programs...more

Proskauer Rose LLP

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: When Employers’ Good Intentions Inadvertently Create Increased Risk

Proskauer Rose LLP on

Employment lawsuits typically involve allegations of an employer’s wrongdoing – claims that the employer or its agents intended to and did mistreat, discriminate, or retaliate against employees. However, these “bad actor”...more

McCarter & English, LLP

Developing Effective and Legally Compliant DEI Policies

Corporate policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are being subjected to increased scrutiny and legal challenges even as the US workforce becomes more diverse on nearly every measure—race, sex, gender identity,...more

Jenner & Block

DEI in the Crosshairs: Reflections On 2023 And Predictions For 2024

Jenner & Block on

From the classroom to the boardroom, attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) gained significant momentum in 2023. Bolstered by their victory at the Supreme Court in the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) cases,...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Recent Complaints Illustrate Reverse Discrimination Issues

Following the Supreme Court’s recent affirmative action decision, legal press publications have reported about complaints and enforcement threats sent to law firms based on their diversity initiatives. In some cases, these...more

Cozen O'Connor

Workplace DEI Programs Still Legal Under Federal Law, Opines Colorado AG

Cozen O'Connor on

Colorado AG Phil Weiser issued a formal legal opinion asserting that workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are not unlawful following a recent Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v....more

Proskauer Rose LLP

Implications of U.S. Supreme Court Decision Overturning Affirmative Action Precedent in Higher Education

Proskauer Rose LLP on

On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Ten DEI Steps Employers Should Consider Now

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The U.S. Supreme Court held the use of race in university and college admissions is unconstitutional in its Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. decisions on June 29, 2023. The Court’s ruling directly addresses only the...more

Mitratech Holdings, Inc

Supreme Court Strikes Down Affirmative Action in College Admissions

On Thurs. June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious admissions policies are unconstitutional and invoked the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, stating that Harvard’s and UNC’s admissions programs...more

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

The Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling: A Shift in How Private Employers Approach DEI?

The Supreme Court of the United States’ recent decision to strike down affirmative action admissions policies in higher education is having significant indirect consequences for private employers and their diversity, equity,...more

Butler Snow LLP

Reviewing Workplace DEI Practices in Light of Students for Fair Admissions Ruling

Butler Snow LLP on

On June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court found affirmative action in the college admissions programs of two well-known universities to be unconstitutional. Despite the opinion only addressing two specific college...more

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