The conservative campaign to dismantle corporate diversity initiatives has hit pay dirt by focusing on a surprising target: law firms, the Washington Post reported. Since August, the conservative American Alliance for Equal Rights has sued or sent threatening letters to at least seven law firms, demanding that they shutter diversity fellowship programs, and claiming that they exclude qualified White and Asian students based on race. Meanwhile, five Republican state attorneys general have fired off letters to 100 top law firms, threatening legal action and suggesting that “racial discrimination in employment and contracting may be commonplace” in the legal industry. The American Alliance for Equal Rights is a nonprofit run by Edward Blum, the activist who successfully challenged affirmative action in college admissions, leading to a landmark Supreme Court ruling in June. “Many law firms have been some of the most enthusiastic and outspoken entities to restrict opportunities to resources based on race and ethnicity,” Blum said. “It is likely that other corporate entities with similar racially discriminatory policies will be sued in the coming weeks.”
