Federal employees fired over "DEI activities" file complaint
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President Trump talks to reporters from the Resolute Desk after signing a memo ordering an immediate assessment of aviation safety and ordering an elevation of what he called "competence" over "D.E.I." Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A group of federal employees who were fired for participating in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) activities have filed a complaint to regain their jobs and their back pay.
Why it matters: The complaint filed Wednesday before the Merit System Protection Board directly challenges President Trump's anti-DEI purge across the federal government and could be the first step in a class action lawsuit.
Zoom in: The complaint alleges that the mass terminations and other attacks on federal employees who are alleged to have participated in DEI activities violated federal employees' rights under the First Amendment.
- It also alleges that the Trump administration targeted employees whom it perceived as being associated with DEI, including those who no longer performed any DEI-related activities.
- In addition, the complaint says such targeting demonstrates that the Trump administration sought to punish employees for what the administration perceived as their political views.
- It challenges the gender and racial impacts of the anti-DEI executive orders, which disproportionately singled out federal workers who were not white men for hostility, suspicion, job interference and termination, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
What they're saying: "By illegally targeting employees across government, the Trump administration is actually hurting all the people who live and work in this country by denying them the important services we provide," plaintiff Mahri Stáinnak of the Office of Personnel Management said in a statement.
- The complaint was filed on behalf of the federal employees by the ACLU of the District of Columbia (ACLU-D.C.), two law firms and Democracy Forward.
- Paige Brown of the Department of Labor, C. Scott of the Department of Labor, and Ronisca Chambers of the Federal Aviation Administration as plaintiffs.
Context: Within hours of taking office, President Trump issued an executive order instructing the Office of Personnel Management to terminate all DEI-related government activities.
- Another order mandated that federal agencies compile lists of the government's DEI programs and activities in existence as of November 4, 2024.
The White House spokesman Harrison Fields tells Axios the president's orders were about fairness:
- "Protecting the civil rights and expanding opportunities for all Americans is a key priority of the Trump Administration, which is why he took decisive actions to terminate unlawful DEI preferences in the federal government."
Between the lines: The executive orders follow the Trump administration's reinterpretations of Civil Rights-era laws to focus on "anti-white racism" rather than discrimination against people of color.
- It also came before the administration announced the federal government will no longer unequivocally prohibit contractors from having segregated restaurants, waiting rooms and drinking fountains.
