Overview
- Attorney General James Uthmeier released a 14-page advisory on Martin Luther King Jr. Day declaring roughly 80–83 race-based statutes unconstitutional and vowing not to defend or enforce them.
- The memo cites the Fourteenth Amendment and the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action to argue that race-based state action is presumptively unlawful.
- Uthmeier formally requested the opinion from his own office, a move critics described as political theater.
- Black Democratic lawmakers held a Capitol news conference condemning the opinion and warning of effects on minority health offices, supplier development, scholarships, contracting set‑asides, and representation on boards, with some urging Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove Uthmeier.
- Several Republican bills filed this session would codify similar limits on preferences and DEI programs, but any changes will hinge on legislative action or court rulings because advisory opinions do not carry legal force.