The Justice Department on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit against Minnesota, challenging the state's requirement that all government agencies implement sex- and race-based affirmative action plans and consider "affirmative action goals" in every hiring and personnel decision, according to a press release.
The lawsuit, brought by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, alleges the policy violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by requiring state agencies to classify, limit, and make employment decisions based on race and sex.
Federal officials argue the program unlawfully pressures agencies to "balance" their workforce demographics to match the civilian labor force.
"Making hiring decisions based on immutable characteristics like race and sex is simple discrimination, and the Trump Administration has no tolerance for such DEI policies," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
According to the complaint, Minnesota's affirmative action mandate directs agencies to weigh race and sex in staffing decisions, creating a zero-sum system in which preferences for some applicants necessarily disadvantage others.
The Justice Department argues that such practices directly conflict with the plain language of Title VII, which bars employment discrimination on the basis of race or sex.
"Title VII protects all people from race and sex discrimination in employment," said Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. "There is no exception that allows discrimination against employees who aren’t considered 'underrepresented.'"
Dhillon said the lawsuit follows the Supreme Court 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ended the use of race as a factor in university admissions.
She described the Minnesota case as "the next logical step" in applying that ruling to employment practices.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.