Trump’s State Bar DEI Threat Emboldens Diversity Policy Attacks

Under threat from the Trump administration and lawsuits from conservative litigators, state bar groups across the country are deciding whether to shelve diversity programming or risk getting dragged into court.

State bar leaders have been war-gaming their responses to Trump’s executive order compelling all federal agencies to investigate any diversity, equity, and inclusion funds and specifically calling out state bars for scrutiny. The American Bar Association recently suspended enforcement of its DEI mandate for law schools.

“Bar associations don’t want to make themselves targets for the feds, and there are pockets of litigation groups looking to make a point,” said ...