Trump admin rescinds Carter‑era DEI mandates for federal hiring
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Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter sing with Martin Luther King Sr., Coretta Scott King, Andrew Young and other civil rights leaders during a visit to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta in January 1979. Photo: HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The Trump administration said Friday it will end a court-imposed decree initiated by the Carter administration that eliminated a test for federal job applicants and imposed diversity hiring requirements for federal agencies.
Why it matters: The move follows the administration's dramatic change to the government's interpretation of civil rights-era laws to focus on "anti-white racism" rather than discrimination against people of color.
Driving the news: The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said it will eliminate a decree from Luevano v. Ezell, a case brought on by Black and Hispanic job applicants alleging discrimination.
- The DOJ said the decree "limited the hiring practices of the federal government based on flawed and outdated theories of diversity, equity, and inclusion."
- It said the decree entered in 1981 "imposed draconian test review and implementation procedures" on the Office of Personnel Management.
What they're saying: "For over four decades, this decree has hampered the federal government from hiring the top talent of our nation," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement.
- "Today, the Justice Department removed that barrier and reopened federal employment opportunities based on merit — not race."
- U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro used the quote "by the content of their character" from the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a statement to justify the move.
Reality check: The Luevano case sought to remedy decades of discrimination against Black and Hispanic job applicants who had been denied employment based on their racial background.
- The case ultimately settled in a 1981 consent decree, under which the federal government agreed to eliminate a test and establish two special hiring programs, Outstanding Scholar and Bilingual/Bicultural.
- The decree was in place for 45 years.
Zoom out: The DOJ move comes days after it released new guidelines for recipients of federal funding and directed them not to be involved in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
- The guidelines say federal anti-discrimination laws apply to DEI programs and initiatives since they involve "discriminatory practices."
- The guidelines could have sweeping effects, possibly forcing universities to end ethnic studies programs, media companies to stop paying for staffers to attend journalists of color conferences or nonprofits to cease programs studying health disparities.
Context: Since taking office, Trump has attempted to reverse many of the gains made during the Civil Rights Movement and unravel the late President Lyndon B. Johnson's civil rights legacy from six decades ago.
- Within hours of taking office, Trump revoked LBJ's 1965 executive order mandating "equal opportunity" for people of color and women in the recruitment, hiring and training of federal contractors.
Between the lines: The moves fulfill a promise Trump campaign allies told Axios about before the election: that the president would push to eliminate or upend programs in government and corporate America that are designed to counter racism against Black Americans and other people of color.
- A central vehicle for the effort has been America First Legal, founded by Trump aide Stephen Miller.
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