Newton’s Third Law of DEI?

Devon WesthillRacial Preferences

Over 300 years ago, English physicist Sir Issac Newton explained in his third law of motion that for every action in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. That law also describes well the present-day interaction between diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) advocates and its opponents. That was the gist of a recent interview conducted by The Daily Signal of Adam Guillette, president of the investigative reporting organization Accuracy in Media (AIM). AIM sent reporters undercover into a half dozen state colleges in Texas and filmed school officials who, Guillette said, “brag[ged] to us about how they ignored the …

10th Annual Federalist Society Florida Chapters Conference Panel on Students for Fair Admissions

Center for Equal OpportunityEducation

The panel discussed how these decisions are transforming the admissions process in higher education and the impact on the legal profession. Included in the discussion will be the response from academia, the permissible limits of the use of race in admissions after these decisions, and what impact this is expected to have on corporate America and the legal profession. Featuring: Prof. Tracey Maclin, Raymond & Miriam Ehrlich Chair in US Constitutional Law , University of Florida Levin College of LawCameron Norris, Partner, Consovoy McCarthy PLLCDevon Westhill, President and General Counsel, Center for Equal OpportunityModerator: Hon. Meredith Sasso, Justice, Florida Supreme …

Lawyers…Do Better

Devon WesthillEmployment

This article originally appeared on RealClearPolicy.com on February 6, 2024 “It is a sordid business, this divvying us up by race.” Those were Chief Justice John Roberts’ thoughts in a 2006 voting rights case alleging Texas legislators had redrawn voting districts illegally diluting the votes of racial minorities. That sentiment applies with even greater force when lawyers and judges are the ones doing the divvying up. On January 31, the nonprofits American Civil Rights Project and Center for Equal Opportunity sent a letter to the American Bar Association Business Law Section (ABA BLS) demanding it stop selecting law students for its Diversity Clerkship Program based …

CEO Writes to California Senators in Opposition to ACA-7

Center for Equal OpportunityRacial Preferences

For nearly 30 years, California residents have been in a pitched battle with their state government to oppose efforts to divvy them up by their race. In 1996, Californians voted to amend their constitution to prohibit the state from discriminating in employment, education, and contracting on the basis of race and other immutable characteristics. The 55% to 45% vote on Ballot Proposition 209 (Prop 209) was a major victory for colorblind equal opportunity for all Californians. The Center for Equal Opportunity (CEO) was involved in advocating for that successful nearly three-decade-old campaign and in opposing every attempt since to overturn …

Not DEI but MNO on MLK Day

Roger CleggCulture & Society

This article originally appeared on National Review For starters, I’m not sure we really have to replace DEI with anything. As Ward Connerly once observed, when a surgeon removes a cancer, we don’t insist that it be replaced with something. Still, it seems to be a fact that many people, especially politicians, don’t want to be just against something: They want to be for something, too. And perhaps it’s useful and clarifying for those of us who oppose Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to describe our own, contrasting vision — especially on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Very well: We want …

SFFA and Beyond [NLC 2023]

Center for Equal OpportunityEducation

This year the Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. The Court held that the admissions programs of Harvard College and the University of North Carolina violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court’s ruling elevates a colorblind reading of the Fourteenth Amendment. In the college admissions context, the decision makes unconstitutional certain policies that would favor one applicant over another on the basis of that applicant’s race. College admissions offices across the country will have to alter the policies they’ve used for decades. How …

Freedom and Racial Equality at Freedom & Progress 2023

Center for Equal OpportunityCulture & Society

Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke powerfully of America’s founding creed as a “promissory note” for equal opportunity for Americans of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. For those who oppose both racial discrimination and racial quotas, what is the fairest and freest path to equality? Related posts: The Immigration Impasse Why Racial Preferences Remain Wrongheaded Top Ten Reasons to Oppose Race Preferences in University Admissions 20 Bad Arguments

The Next Wave of Affirmative Action Litigation at Freedom & Progress 2023

Center for Equal OpportunityRacial Preferences, Uncategorized

The Supreme Court’s majority opinion in the Students for Fair Admissions case has elevated the possibility of eliminating race-based policies in other important domains, like employment and federal contracting. Where will public interest law firms go next? Are there cases already on the docket in important jurisdictions? Related posts: HP Mandates Quotas TESTIMONY OF ROGER CLEGG, PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL, CENTER FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY BEFORE THE U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS REGARDING THE PROPOSED EMPLOYMENT NON-DISCRIMINATION ACT Freedom and Racial Equality at Freedom & Progress 2023 Keeping skin color and sex out of government contracting

What My White Mom Taught Her Black Kids About the American Dream

Center for Equal OpportunityUncategorized

As part of Philanthropy Roundtable’s True Diversity initiative, President and General Counsel for the Center for Equal Opportunity Devon Westhill recently sat down with radio veteran Lee Habeeb for an episode of “Our American Stories,” a syndicated radio program and podcast that highlights “ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things.” Westhill frequently champions True Diversity, an equality-based, holistic framework for embracing diversity that values each person as a unique individual and empowers charitable organizations with the freedom and flexibility to advance their missions and help those in need.  In this discussion, Westhill tells Habeeb the story of his mother, a white woman, who raised three …