"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.
A recent Gallup poll reveals a decline in intended DEI investment, with 59% of 140 large companies planning to increase their DEI budgets in the next year, a significant drop from 84% in 2022.
University of California, Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky was caught on footage reportedly claiming that he secretly discriminates when hiring faculty in the name of diversity.
The allegations suggest that the line of questioning was particularly severe for female candidates, with some reporting they were asked about their preference for pornography, the presence of explicit pictures on their phones, extramarital affairs, and whether they had ever "danced for dollars."