Attorney General Raoul Leads Coalition Supporting Challenge To Executive Orders Unlawfully Targeting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion And Accessibility
Illinois joins 16 states defending DEI initiatives in federal court.
CHICAGO – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul 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.
Raoul 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, asserting that they unlawfully threaten its federal funding and its First Amendment rights, 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.” The Trump administration has not defined critical terms in the executive orders, including which diversity, equity and inclusion practices it views as illegal discrimination.
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“Diversity initiatives are lawful, and studies show that they lead to more successful businesses and learning environments,” Raoul said. “I will stand with those who are challenging this administration’s illegal attempts to eliminate these programs and turn back the clock on the important progress that has been made toward equity.”
In their brief, Raoul and 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 challenged provisions in the executive orders harm the states, as well as their residents and businesses, by denying them the 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. Raoul and the attorneys general are urging the appeals court to uphold the injunction.
Attorney General Raoul co-led the coalition with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. They were joined in filing the brief by 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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