Several large corporations like Target and Wal-Mart have rescinded their formal DEI programs in recent months, presumably to comply with mandates and warnings by the current federal government administration. Nonetheless, a recent report shows that while corporations may be backing away from official DEI programs, they continue to embrace DEI principles in a less obvious manner. Recruiting firm BarkerGilmore Read More

A federal district court judge in Maryland has issued a preliminary nationwide injunction against several provisions in one of Trump’s executive orders related to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies at private companies. The court’s February 21, 2025, ruling in National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education v. Trump, No. 1:25-cv-00333 (2025), prevents the Trump administration from enforcing Read More

Over the past six weeks, Trump has issued a slew of executive orders (EOs) purporting to outlaw diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs of federal contractors, private companies, and colleges and universities. These EOs do not invalidate or affect existing workplace discrimination laws such as Title VII. However, all organizations with inclusion and diversity policies should review them to ensure they will Read More

A U.S. District Court judge in Georgia has declined to partially dismiss a former store manager’s discrimination and retaliation claims against Sephora. Nixaliz Mestre, who is Latina, was terminated from the high-end beauty chain after refusing to prioritize white job applicants over applicants of other races. The judge ruled that Mestre’s allegations were sufficiently detailed to avoid dismissal prior to the start Read More

More and more companies are explicitly moving away from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in the wake of the White House’s January executive order addressing the issue. In the aftermath of this exodus, employers now must grapple with how to handle discrimination complaints. Abandoning DEI policies also results in rejecting in-house dispute resolution processes for discrimination Read More

A California federal district court has granted class certification in a lawsuit against a financial services company for tracking the activities of people using their website without prior notice to them. The lawsuit claims that the company used a third-party marketing software platform to track user activity on their website in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA). The software allowed the Read More

As the Trump administration takes swift action to change U.S. immigration policies, employers should expect increased work authorization enforcement actions. To that end, employers should review their employees’ I-9 forms for compliance in anticipation of potential I-9 audits. I-9 audits are the most common form of immigration enforcement that the federal government undertakes. During the previous Trump Read More

As many large American companies such as McDonald’s, Google, and Microsoft, have abandoned their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs over the past few months, Walmart has followed suit. However, major shareholders and the attorneys general of 13 states are pushing back on that decision, demanding to know how the company will combat employment discrimination. In November, Walmart announced that it would Read More

According to a recent Harris Poll and KinderCare Learning Companies survey, 8 out of 10 human resources (HR) professionals report difficulties convincing senior executives that investing in childcare benefits for workers is beneficial. The survey, which included 152 senior executives and HR leaders from Fortune 500 companies shows that the C-suite is uncertain that an upgraded investment in childcare would result in Read More

The requirements of Title VII are critical for all employers to know. However, strict compliance with Title VII is more important than ever considering two recent developments: the Trump administration’s executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) memo addressing criminal investigations of illegal programs. Title VII applies to employers Read More