Upholding Prop 209: CEO Warns California Against ACA7 Race-Based Preferences

Shawna BrayRacial Preferences

The Center for Equal Opportunity (CEO) recently took action to defend the principle of equal treatment under the law by sending a formal letter to California state senators opposing Assembly Constitutional Amendment 7 (ACA7). ACA7, as currently proposed, would roll back key protections established under California’s Proposition 209, opening the door for race-based preferences in areas like public education and financial aid. CEO was heavily involved in Prop 209 in the 1990s and these are exactly the kinds of racial preferences CEO has opposed for over 30 years.  In the letter, CEO raised serious concerns about the legal risk this …

Key DEI Case Set for Oral Argument 

Shawna BrayUncategorized

The 9th Circuit will hear argument in Diemert v. City of Seattle on April 23 in Seattle, WA. Mr. Diemert brought this lawsuit against his employer, the City of Seattle, after being subjected to DEI trainings which included assertions that “[a]ll white people are racist,” while people of color “cannot be racist.”  CEO’s former President and General Counsel, Devon Westhill, served as the expert witness for Mr. Diemert. CEO’s Policy Fellow and Civil Rights Fellowship alumnus, Anthony Pericolo, represented amici supporting Mr. Diemert before the 9th Circuit.  The Department of Justice has also provided amicus support on behalf of Mr. Diemert and is expected to …

CEO Backs HUD Rule Change, Citing Supreme Court Precedent

Shawna BrayUncategorized

The Center for Equal Opportunity recently submitted a comment supporting the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) proposed rulemaking on applying disparate impact liability in HUD’s enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. CEO’s comment addressed the impact a recent Supreme Court case, Ames v. Ohio Dep’t of Youth Servs, should have on our understanding of the application of disparate impact liability. Namely, that disparate impact liability makes little sense when our laws set out to protect all Americans’ civil rights equally, and does not allow for a separate standard to apply for those in the majority versus those in the minority.  The full …

David Rubenstein profiles Linda Chavez on C-SPAN

Center for Equal OpportunityUncategorized

CEO chairman Linda Chavez will be profiled for one hour this Sunday on America’s Book Club with David Rubenstein on C-SPAN at 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. ET. She will be discussing her decades long career in public service, her work at CEO, and her nonfiction and fiction books with prominent businessman, lawyer and philanthropist, David Rubenstein. Please check your local listings. From C-SPAN’s announcement: Linda Chavez is an author and former Reagan administration official who held several positions, leading the White House Public Liaison office, serving as staff director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and chairing the National Commission on Migrant Education. She was …

CEO chairman slams DEI on PBS

Center for Equal OpportunityUncategorized

CEO chairman Linda Chavez was on PBS this week to discuss, among other current events, the problems with DEI. Chavez, a regular panelist on PBS’s “To the Contrary” said: “I’m a longtime critic of DEI. I spent 25 years as a Director at Fortune 500 companies. I was the chair of the governance committee. Half of our board members were female—but we didn’t use DEI—we cast a wider net, making sure that we included people who could add value to the company with their expertise. And we got terrific people.” Chavez added: “The problem with DEI policies, certainly we saw it …

CEO welcomes new Visiting Economist

Center for Equal OpportunityUncategorized

CEO is happy to announce the commencement of a new research project in support of equality in higher education post Students for Fair Admissions. Simon Laird is joining CEO as our new Visiting Economist. He will be spearheading CEO’s research into racial preferences in scholarship awards in professional programs. Simon has his Master’s degree in Economics from George Mason and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Economics, also at George Mason. We are thrilled to welcome him to the CEO team. Related posts: Politicized external review panels as unguided “diversity” missiles: California university administrators remain ultra-slow learners Peter Abernathy joins CEO as …

CEO Media Blitz to Reach Broader Audience

Center for Equal OpportunityUncategorized

The Center for Equal Opportunity has been stepping up its media efforts to take our message to an even broader audience. CEO Chairman Linda Chavez appeared on the BBC News Channel several times recently to discuss recent court rulings to rein in immigration enforcement activities in Minnesota. On Sunday, February 22, Ms. Chavez will be profiled for an hour by philanthropist David M. Rubinstein on CSPAN’s America’s Book World, where she will discuss her work at CEO, her long career in civil rights, and her books. Check your local listings. CEO general counsel Shawna Bray was recently quoted prominently in …

CEO’s Shawna Bray quoted in Washington Post on Illegal DEI

Center for Equal OpportunityGovernment Activity

From Washington Post Article 12/30/25 Why Trump’s EEOC wants to talk to White men about discrimination Armed with a quorum and GOP majority, Chair Andrea Lucas is pressing new priorities — such as dismantling DEI — that critics say have turned the agency’s mission “on its head.” In mid-December, the nation’s leading workplace civil rights enforcer took to social media to pose a question: “Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex?” Andrea Lucas, chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, appeared in the video, urging those who have to contact …

Celebrating 30 Years of CEO

Rudy GerstenKeeping Up with CEO

Promoting colorblind equal opportunity and merit-based public policy This year the Center for Equal Opportunity (CEO) is thrilled to celebrate 30 years as one of the only conservative organizations specifically dedicated to issues of civil rights, race, and ethnicity. CEO was founded in 1995 in Washington, D.C. to promote merit-based, colorblind equal opportunity. The organization has produced more than 80 studies on racial preferences at colleges, universities, law schools and medical schools and been instrumental in every effort to overturn racial preferences. CEO staff have prepared counsel and provided legal theories used in landmark cases; given expert testimony before local, state, and federal …

When DEI Becomes Discrimination: The Case of Diemert v. City of Seattle

Anthony PericoloEmployment

As a member of CEO’s inaugural class of Fellows, and then CEO’s first Visiting Fellow, I brought my commitment to colorblind equal opportunity with me to private practice. While my practice has focused on patent law, I hoped to be able to continue to promote CEO’s mission in my pro bono work. Luckily, with the help of fantastic mentors, I was able to coordinate with Pacific Legal Foundation and the Center for Equal Opportunity to file an amicus brief in support of the plaintiff in Diemert v. City of Seattle. I had developed some familiarity with the facts of the case …