Democrat AGs rush to assure companies DEI remains lawful.

Democratic Attorneys General Defend Corporate Diversity Programs

A group of Democratic ‍U.S. state attorneys general are scrambling ‍to push back against ‌claims ‍by‍ some of their Republican counterparts that many ​corporate workforce diversity programs amount to illegal discrimination.

Democratic Officials Dismiss Republican Claims

In a ⁤call with reporters,⁣ the ‍attorneys general of New York, Illinois, Nevada,‌ and four other ⁢states⁢ said 13 Republican officials were wrong to suggest last week that a ⁣recent​ U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action in higher education has any impact on employers’ diversity ​ efforts.

The Republican AGs, in letters sent to​ the CEOs of ​the 100 largest U.S. companies, warned⁢ that they ‌could take legal action against ⁣businesses that set hiring ⁤quotas or​ treat job ⁤applicants differently because of their race.

But on Wednesday, the Democratic officials said the vast majority of company ‌ diversity, equity, and inclusion policies​ are designed to set aspirational ⁣goals or diversify pools ⁤of⁤ job applicants.

“There is⁤ no corporation I’m aware of​ that ‍promotes quotas or openly discriminates based ⁣on⁣ a number,” New York attorney general⁤ Letitia James said.

James and the⁣ other AGs said they wanted to make clear to ⁢companies that their states support diversity efforts and will not take legal action ⁢to ​dismantle them.

Tennessee attorney general Jonathan Skrmetti, a Republican⁤ who ⁤spearheaded ⁤last week’s letter, said in a statement that the reasoning⁣ behind the recent Supreme Court decision makes clear that companies cannot factor race into employment⁢ decisions even if they have​ good intentions.

“Corporate⁣ America continues to​ have many⁣ avenues‌ to help disadvantaged people and communities of all ⁢races without‍ resorting to crude racial line-drawing,” Skrmetti said.

The Supreme Court ruling last month said Harvard ⁢University’s and the University‍ of ⁢North Carolina’s race-conscious admissions policies violated the U.S. Constitution.

The decision does not directly affect employers but is widely expected to spur legal challenges ⁢to⁣ corporate diversity initiatives that take race⁤ into account.

Democratic AGs Defend Corporate ⁣Diversity Initiatives

The Democratic AGs on Wednesday said the Supreme Court ruling has no bearing on employers’ practices and that it was ‍misguided to compare race-conscious school⁣ admission policies⁢ to corporate ⁣ diversity initiatives.

(Reporting⁢ by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and ⁤Daniel Wallis)