Attorney General Pam Bondi has terminated federal lawsuits initiated by the Biden administration against local police and fire departments concerning their merit-based hiring practices.
Under the Biden administration, the Department of Justice’s Office of Civil Rights took legal action against local first responders for favoring merit in their hiring processes instead of implementing race-based criteria.
The DOJ stated in a press release, ‘In the absence of evidence indicating intentional discrimination—merely statistical disparities—the previous administration labeled the aptitude tests involved in these cases as discriminatory to promote a DEI agenda.’
Furthermore, the release noted, ‘It aimed to pressure municipalities into adopting DEI-oriented hiring practices and to allocate millions of taxpayer dollars for compensations to former applicants who had lower test scores, irrespective of their qualifications.’
President Donald Trump enacted executive orders to terminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies within the federal government. This week, Bondi’s decision represents the latest advancement in the ongoing initiative to dismantle DEI programs under the new administration.
Bondi’s office asserted that DEI policies endanger public safety and suggested that the dismissal of these cases is an initial measure towards eliminating unlawful DEI preferences in both government and private sectors. ‘American communities deserve firefighters and police officers selected based on their skills and commitment to public safety, rather than to fulfill DEI quotas,’ Bondi stated.
The suggested consent decrees generally recognized that the departments employed impartial selection criteria, including credit evaluations, written examinations, and physical fitness assessments, to assess candidates for available positions.
Nevertheless, White male candidates often achieved superior scores or demonstrated better performance on these evaluations. For example, a lawsuit initiated in October against the City of Durham, North Carolina, claimed ‘unintentional’ discrimination against Black applicants, noting that they failed to attain the necessary 70% passing score on the written exam at a higher rate than their White counterparts, leading to a reduced number of Black hires.
To address this issue, the complaint recommended the elimination of the neutral written examination and the provision of ‘back pay and/or preferential hiring’ for Black candidates who were not chosen due to their exam results. The anticipated financial impact of these proposals was around $980,000 in monetary compensation.
In a different case filed against the Maryland State Police in October 2024, it was suggested that the agency abandon its existing selection procedures, which included a written test requiring a minimum score of 70% and a physical assessment comprising push-ups, sit-ups, a flexibility test, a trigger pull, and a 1.5-mile run, as noted by Fox.
The suggested modifications aimed to abolish the former selection criteria and designate $2.75 million in financial compensation for Black candidates who were not selected based on their written test scores, as well as for women who were not chosen due to their performance in physical tests. The Department of Justice indicated that comparable lawsuits had been initiated against the municipalities of South Bend, Indiana, and Cobb County, Georgia, as further reported by Fox.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is leading the Trump administration’s controversial initiatives aimed at downsizing federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency and the federal workforce, and has faced protests at Tesla showrooms.
The recent arrest is part of a wider federal initiative to combat what Attorney General Pam Bondi has accurately identified as a rise in domestic terrorism targeting properties linked to Musk’s electric vehicle enterprise.
Bondi previewed this arrest during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, emphasizing the recent actions taken by federal law enforcement to apprehend vandals attacking Tesla-related locations in recent weeks. Additionally, Wagner is confronting charges related to a fire that occurred last month at the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters in Albuquerque, which authorities reported caused significant damage to the building’s entrance and extensive smoke damage throughout the office.
Furthermore, Republican officials found graffiti on the side of the building, approximately 50 feet from the entrance, stating ‘ICE = KKK,’ as noted by state GOP Chair Amy Barela. The Justice Department has also initiated charges in four other cases involving individuals accused of using Molotov cocktails to target Tesla vehicles and fire stations.
In light of the increasing number of incidents, the FBI formed a task force last month to collaborate on investigative efforts with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF). Bondi has made it clear that there will be no plea bargains for those charged in the Tesla-related incidents, informing President Trump during a White House meeting on Thursday, ‘There will be no negotiations, at your directive.’
