Following George Floyd's death in May 2020, widespread protests and resulting riots led to numerous casualties, national curfews, and significant property damage estimated to be between $1 and $2 billion.
"Federal law has long prohibited treating employees differently because of their race," Cotton stated in the letters, reminding the firms of the Supreme Court's recent declaration that "eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it."
Senator Cotton's argument is that Target's race-based initiatives, which purportedly aim to increase diversity and inclusion, may actually contravene federal civil rights laws by actively discriminating based on race.
One of Trump's primary objectives is to "cut federal funding for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content onto our children."
Justice Neil Gorsuch, who wrote the majority opinion, declared, "The First Amendment’s protections belong to all, not just to speakers whose motives the government finds worthy. In this case, Colorado seeks to force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance."
