Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Pax­ton Leads Mul­ti­state Coali­tion in Join­ing Trump Administration’s Efforts to Stop Ille­gal DEI Employ­ment Prac­tices at Law Firms

Attorney General Ken Paxton, leading a multistate coalition, sent letters to twenty law firms requesting information about the firms’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) employment practices which potentially violate federal anti-discrimination laws and state laws against deceptive trade practices. 

“The blatantly illegal employment discrimination perpetuated by law firms and other businesses under un-American DEI ideology must be brought to an immediate and permanent end,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I am leading the charge at the state level to support President Trump’s efforts to end this insanity and restore equal treatment. Employers should look at qualifications, not quotas, in their hiring decisions.” 

On March 17, Commissioner Andrea Lucas—appointed as the Acting Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by President Trump—sent a similar letter requesting information necessary to determine whether or not the law firms in question had engaged in any illegal and discriminatory actions through their DEI-related employment policies. Under federal law, States have the authority to enforce employment discrimination laws to ensure that DEI and other policies that promote the employment of a person based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin are not being used. States also have their own authority to enforce laws against deceptive trade practices.

Attorney General Paxton has now urged the law firms to comply with the Trump Administration’s request and then send the same information to all the Attorneys General in the coalition by April 15. The obtained information will enable the States to determine if any laws have been violated and if enforcement is appropriate to ensure compliance with lawful employment practices. 

To read the letter, click here.