Judge Presses DOJ Attorney to Define ‘Illegal’ DEI Programming

March 25, 2025, 6:13 PM UTC

A Chicago federal judge on Tuesday pressed Justice Department attorneys to articulate exactly how the Trump administration defines “illegal and immoral discrimination” in the context of executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

When administration attorneys did not give Northern District of Illinois Judge Matthew Kennelly a direct answer, he hammered hard.

“You’re not able, or willing, or some combination of the two, to give a definition of what’s illegal,” he said, and asked how someone would avoid violating an executive order “if you can’t even answer.”

“I can’t answer that because I haven’t done the legal analysis,” responded ...

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