ACLU prepares to fight Trump's planned DEI purge
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Former President Donald Trump arrives at a rally on June 28, 2024, in Chesapeake, Va. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The American Civil Liberties Union is already looking at how to challenge a future Trump administration's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs inside and outside of government, according to a new memo.
Why it matters: Former President Trump's campaign and his allies have signaled they will use Civil Rights-era laws to focus on "anti-white racism" as a means of dismantling DEI programs in the federal government and the private sector.
- The ACLU was a fierce legal opponent to Trump's first term and is positioning itself to do the same if he wins again this year.
Driving the news: As part of its series of legal memos preparing for either Trump or President Biden to win, the ACLU has prepared one focused on DEI programs.
- "A second Trump administration threatens to altogether stop enforcement of civil rights on behalf of individuals from historically marginalized groups," the group wrote, laying out legal and political strategies to stop the effort.
- "As was the case in the prior Trump administration, litigation and regulatory advocacy will be indispensable for both stymying these threats and advancing an affirmative vision of racial justice," the memo adds.
What they're saying: ReNika Moore, director of the ACLU's racial justice program, said in a statement that a second Trump administration is expected to "institutionalize a worldview rooted in white supremacy."
- Kim Conway, senior policy counsel in the ACLU, added that "Trump plans to intensify efforts to eradicate DEI programing and inclusive education, banning books and censoring curricula on race, gender, and the lived experiences and contributions of marginalized groups in classrooms."
Zoom out: Earlier this year in response to a story on this topic, a Trump campaign spokesperson told Axios: "As President Trump has said, all staff, offices, and initiatives connected to Biden's un-American policy will be immediately terminated."
- The Trump campaign did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.
The big picture: Some Trump-aligned groups are also preparing for a future Trump administration and its approach to DEI programs.
- The Heritage Foundation's well-funded "Project 2025" contends that the Department of Justice under a second Trump administration will end what it calls "affirmative discrimination."
- Gene Hamilton, a former Justice Department official during Trump's first term, argued in the plan that "advancing the interests of certain segments of American society ... comes at the expense of other Americans and in nearly all cases violates long-standing federal law."
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