On Jan. 21, 2025, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” This article provides an overview of the executive order.
This article discusses implications of US President Trump’s Executive Orders for private sector organizations regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The article offers checklists with considerations for in-house lawyers at private-sector employers.
The article provides an overview of President Trump's executive order (EO) titled
“Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to
the Federal Government.” This article also offers key takeaways for higher education institutions.
While employers know to have comprehensive anti-discrimination and harassment policies in place, having workplace policies supporting employees who choose to transition their gender is also important.
This article discusses how to effectively navigate the laws surrounding employees’ civil rights and religious freedom while maintaining a safe and respectful workplace.
President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Oct. 30, 2023 addressing the use of artificial intelligence by the government and employers.
Employers must take note that this action imposes new policies and affects civil rights issues and employment opportunities. This article provides an overview of the EO’s eight guiding principles.
This report shares leading practices for legal departments on how to engage their outside counsel most effectively with respect to setting DEI standards.
This ACC Foundation report explores the current landscape of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within legal departments.
Are you building or reviewing your organization's ESG program, with a focus on Europe? This tool presents sample frameworks for the environmental, social, and governance components: (i) key considerations, (ii) a detailed map of core ESG subtopics for each of the three ESG facets, and (ii) for each subtopic, potential goals, standards, and metrics, and more.
On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued a widely expected executive order (EO), Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, targeting affirmative action and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the federal government.
The EO creates new compliance obligations for all government contractors and grant recipients and will lead to new Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rules, eliminating such things as mandatory affirmative action plans and adding a new mandatory contract certification.
Any contractor or grant recipient that currently maintains a DEI program should especially take note, as the EO directly links the maintenance of future DEI programs to False Claims Act (FCA) liability.
On January 29, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinded M-25-13, which it had issued two days earlier, and which required federal agencies to "temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance."
Days after it was issued on January 27, one federal judge administratively stayed a portion of the memo before the OMB rescinded it altogether. A White House press secretary subsequently explained that the "freeze" was, in fact, still in place, and another judge indicated he intends to issue an injunction soon.
While much remains unclear, there are basic parameters and next steps every FFA recipient should consider.