Overview
- The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, alleging the state’s mandate unlawfully bases employment decisions on race and sex.
- The complaint says Minnesota requires executive agencies to balance workforce demographics with the civilian labor force through numerical goals, underutilization tracking, and consideration of benchmarks in hiring, promotions, transfers, and layoffs.
- DOJ lawyers highlight procedures that impose extra steps when selecting candidates not deemed underrepresented, including prehire justification forms and approvals before offers.
- The Minnesota Department of Human Services is singled out for policies requiring Equal Opportunity and Access Division sign-off before offering jobs to non-underrepresented applicants and for mandated interview and documentation rules.
- Officials frame the case as consistent with Supreme Court decisions limiting race-conscious policies, with Attorney General Pamela Bondi’s certification triggering a three-judge district court and direct appeal to the high court.