In the early days of the Biden administration, we have already seen a flurry of Executive Orders, memoranda, and concerning subcabinet appointments that point to a very active and radical civil rights agenda. Excesses in these areas has been met with a swift rebuke by CEO and its allies and we will continue to monitor the administration closely as we move past the president’s first 100 days.
As you watch supercharged events unfold in Minnesota and across the country, keep in mind CEO remains the only conservative organization dedicated exclusively to issues of race and ethnicity. The demands by protestors since the death of George Floyd have been both numerous and unclear. However, that has not stopped unwise ideas on how to meet these demands from permeating government, economic, educational, and cultural institutions. With that in mind, we wanted to update you on a few items CEO has been working on lately.
Supreme Court Briefs
One of the great strengths that CEO has brought to the causes on which we focus is the development of research studies and reports. I’m pleased to share that a number of our studies on racial preferences were cited in multiple amicus briefs filed with the Supreme Court in the case challenging Harvard’s discriminatory admissions practices.
In one brief, here, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Commissioners Pete Kirsanow and Gail Heriot reference a CEO study in making a strong case for the Court to take the case. And, in a separate brief that CEO joined and helped draft with the Pacific Legal Foundation here, several CEO studies are cited. I hope that these briefs influence the Court to take the case. We’ll keep you posted on how it progresses. The Supreme Court has already taken the Becerra case regarding non-profit forced donor-disclosure and in which CEO filed an amicus brief. Oral argument has been scheduled for April 26th.
Public Opinion
CEO has been in the news lately providing comment on current issues and submitting op-eds. We thought two recent items might be of interest. One is an op-ed regarding charges of racism at Georgetown Law. The other is a piece on a race-based public assistance program that I wrote for the Wall Street Journal and which was featured in its opinion pages last week.
Advising Government
Finally, I will have the honor of addressing a hearing of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on April 28th. My testimony will respond to the EEOC’s desire to know the civil rights implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the announced speakers, I suspect that I will be the only panelist advocating for more vigorous and blanket enforcement of colorblind and nondiscriminatory policies in employment. That is, yet again, but for CEO there might not be a panelist to voice a center-right perspective on this issue. The hearing will be recorded and made public and I look forward to sharing when the event concludes.
None of this would be possible without the support of folks like you. We encourage you to check out our new revamped website when you get a moment to stay engaged and let us know what you think.
Stay safe and thank you for your continued support.
Best,
Devon Westhill
President and General Counsel
Center for Equal Opportunity
