The United States Department of Justice has filed a federal lawsuit against the State of Minnesota, challenging its requirement that all state agencies follow race- and sex-based affirmative action policies. The lawsuit argues that Minnesota’s employment rules violate federal civil rights law by forcing agencies to consider race and sex in hiring and staffing decisions.
The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. It targets a statewide mandate that requires every state agency to implement affirmative action plans and to consider affirmative action goals in all personnel decisions. According to the Justice Department, these rules result in unlawful discrimination against employees and job applicants.
United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the lawsuit is part of a broader effort to bring Minnesota into compliance with federal law. She stated that making hiring decisions based on immutable characteristics such as race and sex is discrimination and not permitted under federal standards.
Minnesota’s Affirmative Action Requirements
Minnesota law requires state agencies to create and maintain affirmative action plans. These plans require agencies to track the race and sex of employees and job applicants and compare the makeup of their workforce to the civilian labor force. If certain groups are identified as underrepresented, agencies must set affirmative action goals to address those gaps.
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Under the state’s program, agencies are directed to consider these goals when making decisions related to hiring, promotion, transfers, and other staffing actions. The stated purpose of the policy is to balance the sex and race composition of the state workforce so it more closely reflects the available labor pool.
The Justice Department argues that this system encourages agencies to favor some individuals over others based on race or sex. The federal complaint states that staffing decisions are a zero-sum process. When one person is hired or promoted, another person is not selected. As a result, the lawsuit claims that giving preferences to some applicants necessarily discriminates against others based on the same protected characteristics.
The filing also argues that even when described as “goals” rather than quotas, these requirements still influence real employment decisions. According to the Justice Department, the policies classify and limit workers and jobseekers in ways that federal law prohibits.
Federal Civil Rights Challenge and Court Process
The lawsuit alleges that Minnesota’s affirmative action mandate violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against individuals based on race, color, national origin, or sex. The Justice Department argues that Title VII protects all people equally and does not include an exception allowing discrimination in favor of groups labeled as underrepresented.
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Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division, stated that courts have allowed race- and sex-based discrimination for too long when it is described as affirmative action. The lawsuit argues that older court decisions permitting such practices for traditionally segregated job categories are inconsistent with the text of Title VII and later Supreme Court rulings.
The complaint points to the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ended the use of race as a factor in college admissions. According to the Justice Department, the reasoning of that decision applies to employment law as well.
U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen for the District of Minnesota said the lawsuit addresses what the federal government views as systematic and unlawful practices that label jobseekers based on race or sex rather than qualifications.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi has certified the case as a matter of general public importance. This certification triggers a special provision of Title VII requiring the case to be heard by a three-judge district court. It also allows for a direct appeal to the United States Supreme Court, bypassing the normal appeals process.
The lawsuit asks the court to halt enforcement of Minnesota’s affirmative action requirements. The full filing has been made publicly available and outlines the federal government’s claims and legal arguments in detail.