The same conservative activists who helped gut race-related college admissions at the US Supreme Court have now set their sights on corporate diversity programs, barraging airlines, tech giants and law firms with lawsuits and complaints. And they’re already having an effect.
The court’s landmark June ruling against affirmative action on campus didn’t cover businesses, many of which launched diversity, equity and inclusion programs after George Floyd’s 2020 murder by a White Minneapolis police officer. But as the conservative movement targets DEI, some companies have scaled back their efforts.
Law firms Morrison & Foerster LLP and Perkins Coie LLP have eliminated their diversity requirements for fellowship programs, a common tool for recruiting from underrepresented groups. The changes were disclosed after both firms were sued by legal activist Edward Blum, a lon