Dear friends,
The smoke in the skies above Washington, D.C. and across the east coast recently did not actually come from the Center for Equal Opportunity. But you might be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
CEO continues its hot streak of five major research reports on race issues, five Supreme Court amicus briefs opposing race preferences, testimony before Congress and executive branch agencies, in addition to speeches, op-eds, podcasts, and media interviews. We are also preparing for our second annual Civil Rights Fellowship program to train the next generation of legal professionals, drawing students from some of the nation’s top law schools.
Here is our latest…
Preparing for Landmark SCOTUS Cases
A decision is expected this month in the milestone Harvard and University of North Carolina cases. The Supreme Court opinions will determine whether colleges and universities can continue using race as a factor in college admissions. CEO has played a major role leading up to this point and in these cases specifically. We have released studies of racial preferences in admissions at over 80 colleges and universities—including at Harvard and UNC—resulting in successful state initiatives to ban the practice and in court cases to declare such preferences illegal.
CEO has continued its preparation for the landmark decisions by coordinating our efforts with allies, talking with reporters, participating in speaking events, and preparing to release another major project on the day of the decision. Here is just some of our work on these cases to-date:
- CEO urged the Court to take the case in amicus briefs we joined in each case.
- CEO assisted in crafting and joined another Supreme Court amicus brief urging the Court to overturn SCOTUS precedent permitting the use of race in college admissions.
- CEO appealed to the Court in media appearances and op-eds.
- CEO President and General Counsel Devon Westhill also joined a brief filed by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) in his personal capacity.
We are optimistic the Court will finally prohibit racial preferences in college admissions.
If that happens, CEO’s role as both watchdog and guard dog will become even more vital as we monitor schools’ adherence to the rule of law.
New CEO Talent
Anthony Pericolo is CEO’s first Visiting Legal Fellow. He was also a fellow in CEO’s inaugural 2022 Civil Rights Fellowship and has continued to stay engaged with us in a number of ways, including two op-eds he recently authored on CEO issues. Anthony is a 2023 graduate of Harvard Law School and will soon begin work as a patent litigator in Washington, D.C. Before law school, Anthony earned dual degrees in economics and electrical and computer engineering from the University of Rochester.
Gabriel Wiechert has been selected for CEO’s 2023 summer internship. He will focus on development, policy research, and administrative work. Gabriel is a rising sophomore at Michigan State University and the treasurer at Turning Point USA at MSU. He has a double major in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy, and International Relations, and is active at his university’s American Red Cross Club, Young Americans for Freedom, and the James Madison College Conservatives.
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Testimony
CEO President and General Counsel Devon Westhill recently testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on the federal government’s response to anti-Asian racism in the United States. The Commission was examining the federal government’s role in documenting, prosecuting, and preventing hate crimes against Asian-Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Westhill joined other policy experts in testifying, as well as government officials, academics, law enforcement professionals, advocates, and impacted individuals. You can watch a recording of the briefing or read Mr. Westhill’s full testimony.
Voices for Liberty Initiative, Federalist Society Speeches, and other Speaking Events
CEO staff have talked to students and civic groups across the country this spring, including speeches at City University of New York, Cornell, Florida Atlantic University, Stephen F. Austin State University, University of Houston Law Center, UT Austin, and other events sponsored by the Federalist Society, Manhattan Institute, and National Association of Scholars. These presentations included discussion of the affirmative action cases at the Supreme Court and the connection between free speech, civil rights, and social progress.
CEO Chairman Linda Chavez was the closing interview during a Manhattan Institute conference on affirmative action, meritocracy, and the way forward for colleges and universities after the Harvard and UNC cases are decided. Ms. Chavez was interviewed by CEO board member Jason Riley at the event held at the Yale Club in Manhattan. Click HERE to listen to Ms. Chavez’s remarks and those of the all-star panel on the past and future of affirmative action.
Mr. Westhill has been articulating CEO’s message to audiences across the nation. You can read an article HERE published in the Cornell Review about one of his many recent speeches. In his remarks, Mr. Westhill asserts that Cornell University is ground zero for the debates over freedom of expression, referencing the cancellation of a speaker at the university last November and a recent trigger warning imbroglio at the school. Mr. Westhill’s next speaking engagement will take place on Tuesday, June 20th at the 12th Annual National Civil Rights Conference in Tallahassee, FL.
Coordinating with Allies
The Heritage Foundation Project 2025 policy handbook is out and CEO is thanked for our previous and ongoing participation as a member of the advisory board. Modeled after the “Mandate for Leadership” delivered to the Reagan Administration in 1980 that led to the policy revolution that followed, Project 2025 is a collaborative work of thought leaders from across the conservative community. CEO has contributed to the efforts to craft thoughtful, conservative civil rights policy and to develop a pipeline of trained talent prepared to implement those policies. We are honored to have been asked to participate in this critical effort.
CEO continues to work with other organizations that share our mission as well. Ms. Chavez chairs the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project Working Group on Race and Sex which will help coordinate the public response to the forthcoming Harvard and UNC Supreme Court opinions. Additionally, Mr. Westhill recently participated in a webinar on “Higher Education and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” of the Federalist Society’s Civil Rights Practice Group and on the podcast of the New Civil Liberties Alliance to discuss the Harvard and UNC cases.
MAKING CEO A PART OF YOUR LEGACY
Finally, we recently received a significant contribution from a CEO supporter who sadly passed in 2020 but who left a gift to CEO in his estate. We are deeply grateful and humbled by his last act of charity toward us. Our generous donor chose a phenomenal option to contribute to the CEO mission and you can, too.
CEO has an Office of Planned Giving and now, as a supporter of colorblind equal opportunity, you can help the fight for nondiscrimination and race-neutral public policy in America by including a gift to CEO as part of your legacy. There are many ways to include CEO in your planning, including:
- Bequests through your will or trust
- Naming CEO as the beneficiary of a retirement account, insurance policy, bank or brokerage account
- Making a gift of real estate such as a residence or commercial property
- Donating appreciated securities like stocks, bonds, or mutual funds
Visit our website for more details.
From the CEO Vault
Here’s a throwback to 2002 and one of the best discussions we’ve seen on affirmative action in higher education. It took place on national TV, with Ms. Chavez using results gathered from CEO studies, making the case for colorblind equal opportunity to the American people:
Keep an eye out for an exciting so-to-be released project highlighting more of CEO’s decades of work opposing preferences in higher education. We are proud of the vital role we have played on this issue over so many years, but we couldn’t do it without supporters like you.
As the weather heats up and the Canadian wildfire smoke clears from above our nation’s capital, we hope you all stay safe and remain engaged. We’ll have more exciting developments to announce soon, so please stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Rudy Gersten
Executive Director
