Democratic Attorneys General Issue Guidance on Trump DEI Actions

A group of 16 Democratic state attorneys general issued a multistate guidance letter encouraging the private sector to retain lawful DEI practices and identifying best practices for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.  

What it says: The multistate guidance makes the argument that the Trump Executive Order is “inaccurate and misleading” because it “conflates unlawful preferences in hiring and promotion with sound and lawful best practices for promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the workforce.”

• The guidance also lists what the authors consider best practice in the areas of recruitment and hiring, professional development and retention, and assessment and integration of DEI programs. 

Why it matters: The guidance counters a letter from Republican state AGs admonishing Costco to end “unlawful” DEI practices.

Not the first time: As we pointed out in our previous coverage, a comparable group of Republican attorneys general sent a similar letter to all Fortune 100 companies after the Supreme Court’s college affirmative action-ending decision in Harvard. 

• In that case, Democratic attorneys general also followed suit publishing their own letter countering the Republican view.

Bottom line: Blocking out the noise to conduct a purposeful assessment of your company’s situation, as recommended in our DEI webinar, has never been more critical.