News & Analysis as of

Title VII Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1964 and aimed at preventing discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, and religion. Title VII... more +
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1964 and aimed at preventing discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, and religion. Title VII has been subsequently extended to discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and sexual stereotypes and to prohibit sexual harassment. Title VII applies to all employers with fifteen or more employees including private employers, state and local governments, and educational institutions.  less -
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Attorney General Bondi Issues Guidance to Recipients of Federal Funding “Regarding Unlawful Discrimination”

While some aspects of the Guidance reflect longstanding interpretations of federal antidiscrimination law, it signals an important shift in enforcement priorities. The Guidance states that the use of race-neutral criteria is...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

DOJ Issues Sweeping Memorandum on Unlawful Discrimination

Husch Blackwell LLP on

On July 29, 2025, the U.S. attorney general released a new memorandum providing guidance on the application of federal antidiscrimination laws for recipients of federal funding—including private and public colleges and...more

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

U.S. Attorney General Issues New Guidance on DEI Programs and Policies

On July 29, 2025, the U.S. Attorney General issued a memorandum that “clarifies the application of federal antidiscrimination laws to programs or initiatives that may involve discriminatory practices, including those labeled...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

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

“Reverse Discrimination” Cases Subject to Same Evidentiary Standard Says Supreme Court

Can members of a majority group be subject to a heightened pleading standard for their Title VII discrimination claims? The United States Supreme Court answered this question with a unanimous “no” in Ames v. Ohio Department...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

U.S. Supreme Court Reconciles Circuit Split Regarding Standard for “Reverse Discrimination” Claims

On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, rejecting the “background circumstances” requirement multiple circuit courts of appeals have applied to Title...more

Wiley Rein LLP

“Illegal DEI”: Key Considerations for Higher Education and the Private Sector in the New Administration

Wiley Rein LLP on

On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 14173, titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” The EO raises significant new considerations for private companies and...more

Mintz

[Podcast] Mintz on Air: Practical Policies - DEI Diplomacy

Mintz on

In the latest episode of the Mintz on Air: Practical Policies podcast, Member Jen Rubin explores the concept of ‘DEI Diplomacy’ with Associate Corbin Carter and how the conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusion is...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

Adams & Reese

The Future of DEI Under Trump’s Second Administration

Adams & Reese on

Every time a new President is elected, we employment lawyers write an article of some version of “What to Expect.” Many of my colleagues have written excellent articles on this topic, and the Trump administration has given us...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

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

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

New Administration Outlook: What Employers Need To Know About This Week's DEI Executive Orders

On January 20, the White House released an Executive Order Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing. This order rescinded the Biden-era pro-DEI orders, including the mandate for federal agencies to...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

Proskauer - Law and the Workplace

President Trump Issues Sweeping Executive Orders Aimed at DEI

In his inaugural address on Monday, January 20, 2025, President Trump declared, “We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based.” In the days that followed, President Trump has proceeded to issue a series of...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Five Predictions for President Trump’s Second Administration: Employment and Labor

Vinson & Elkins LLP on

Looking toward a second administration under President-elect Trump, we anticipate a shift toward more employer-friendly labor policies and away from interpretations of law that afforded more expansive protections to...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

The rise of “reverse” discrimination claims

Since the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Students for Fair Admission, we have observed an increase in “reverse” discrimination claims where members of a majority group, such as whites or males, allege discrimination...more

Paul Hastings LLP

SCOTUS to Review Standard for Pursuit of Title VII Reverse Discrimination Cases

Paul Hastings LLP on

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, reverse discrimination...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

The inexorable zero. The assault on workplace DEI. And four tips for avoiding the attack.

Inexorable. Something that cannot be moved, stopped, persuaded, or altered. In Title VII parlance, the "inexorable zero" is the complete absence of a protected group from a workforce or job classification. When accompanied...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

State Attorneys General Clash Over the Legality of DEI Initiatives

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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

WilmerHale

Corporate DEI Landscape - One Year After SFFA

WilmerHale on

In the year since the Supreme Court’s highly anticipated decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina (SFFA), effectively eliminating race-conscious...more

Morgan Lewis

DEI and Best Practices in Corporate America: Harvard/UNC One Year Later

Morgan Lewis on

All eyes were on the US Supreme Court in June 2023 as the justices were poised to issue their decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard & UNC. As colleges and universities awaited the decision and wondered what it...more

Miles & Stockbridge P.C.

Highlights from the 2024 Hot Topics in Employment Law Seminar

Miles & Stockbridge’s Labor, Employment, Benefits & Immigration Practice Group presented its 22nd annual Hot Topics in Employment Law seminar April 11 to clients from throughout Maryland and beyond....more

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

DEI Under Scrutiny, Part VIII: Eleventh Circuit Strikes Down Florida Ban On Workplace DEI Training Under First Amendment

On March 4, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit struck down a part of a politically charged Florida law known as the “Stop WOKE Act” that sought to restrict workplace training on certain diversity,...more

Hicks Johnson

Supreme Court Considers Title VII Case That Could Impact Company Diversity Initiatives

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On December 6, 2023, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, a Title VII case out of the Eighth Circuit. The petitioner, Sergeant Jatonya Muldrow of the St. Louis Police Department, alleged sex...more

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