Attorney General Bonta Co-Leads Brief Opposing Trump’s Attacks on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Programs and Policies

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today co-led a coalition of 17 attorneys general in submitting an amicus brief opposing the Trump Administration’s executive orders targeting programs that promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). These orders declare programs promoting DEIA to be illegal and discriminatory, and require executive agencies to certify that all their contracts and grants do not promote DEIA. In the brief, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition support nonprofit organization Chicago Women in Trades in its lawsuit challenging the orders as unlawful. The coalition urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to uphold the preliminary injunction granted by a district court blocking the executive orders’ restrictions. 

“Supporting policies that promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility ensures all individuals can grow and thrive without unfair roadblocks, not just in California, but across the nation,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Trump’s continued attacks on these values not only threaten the data-backed economic and social benefits DEIA practices bring to communities, but also leverage federal funding to suppress state and private entities’ right to express their values. My fellow attorneys general and I will continue to support those standing up against Trump’s bully tactics and anti-American orders, and will fight to ensure safe and welcoming communities for all.” 

In January 2025, the Trump Administration issued two executive orders targeting DEIA and “equity-related grants or contracts.” While the anti-DEIA executive orders did not define these or other key terms, they directed: (1) executive agencies to terminate equity-related grants or contracts; (2) agencies to require contractors and grantees to certify that they do not run DEIA programs that, in the Administration’s view, violate federal anti-discrimination laws; and (3) the U.S. Attorney General to take steps to discourage private-sector use of DEIA, including deterring such initiatives and promoting compliance investigations.  

Chicago Women in Trades, an organization that addresses gender-based structural obstacles facing prospective trade workers, filed a lawsuit challenging these executive orders in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The district court issued a preliminary injunction, concluding that the organization was likely to succeed on the merits of its claim that the executive orders’ certification requirement violates Chicago Women in Trades’ First Amendment rights. The Trump Administration appealed this decision to the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. 

In an amicus brief filed yesterday, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that:

• Practices that promote DEIA are permitted and often even required under federal civil rights and anti-discrimination laws. Even when not required by law, research indicates that DEIA-related policies and practices lead to benefits such as economic growth and better educational outcomes, rather than creating the purported “disastrous consequences” asserted by the executive orders.
• The executive orders lack clarity around the proposed certification requirements, creating confusion and compliance burdens that harm states, individuals, and businesses alike. The executive orders do not provide clear definitions of key terms like “DEIA,” “diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion,” or “accessibility,” nor do they explain what aspects of such terms now constitute violations of federal law. This opaqueness creates a chilling effect for state and private entities, who must choose between broadly halting programs and services that their communities rely on or risk facing litigation or loss of crucial federal funding. 

Attorney General Bonta co-led the filing of today’s brief along with the attorneys general of Illinois and Massachusetts. They are joined by the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

A copy of the brief can be found here.