Press Release  AG Campbell Supports Challenge To Executive Orders Unlawfully Targeting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion And Accessibility

Boston — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell co-led a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting a legal challenge to two of President Trump’s Executive Orders targeting diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives. 

“We don’t need another study to tell us that DEIA initiatives improve our culture, boost our economy, and strengthen our communities,” said AG Campbell. “The law remains crystal clear that diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are both legal and necessary, and I will continue to defend these programs so that Massachusetts can continue to benefit from them.” 

AG Campbell and the coalition filed their brief in Chicago Women in Trades v. Trump before the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) is a nonprofit organization that helps women overcome discrimination, harassment and other obstacles to entering and staying in skilled trade professions. CWIT challenged multiple provisions in the Executive Orders—including a requirement that recipients of federal grants and contracts certify they do not operate any “programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws”—asserting that the Orders unlawfully threaten CWIT’s federal funding and its First Amendment rights. The Trump Administration has not defined critical terms in the Executive Orders, including any specific diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility practice it views as illegal discrimination. 

In their brief, the attorneys general maintain that diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs are lawful and beneficial. In fact, many such programs ensure compliance with federal civil rights statutes. The attorneys general also explain how the Executive Orders harm the states, as well as their residents and businesses, by denying the states many valuable benefits associated with workplaces, schools and communities that have adopted practices related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.    

A lower court granted the CWIT a partial preliminary injunction, but the Administration appealed that decision. AG Campbell and the attorneys general are urging the appeals court to uphold the injunction.  

This brief is AG Campbell’s latest effort to safeguard DEIA initiatives from unlawful federal action. In May, AG Campbell joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief that also challenged two of President Trump’s Executive Orders targeting DEIA. In April, AG Campbell joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Education's threat to withhold federal education funding from state and local agencies that refuse to abandon lawful programs and policies related to DEIA. AG Campbell has also released guidance for businesses and schools to help them understand the legality, viability, and importance of these programs.  

Joining AG Campbell in filing the brief, which she co-led with the attorneys general of California and Illinois, were the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.  

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