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The Department of Justice is dropping civil rights lawsuits filed under the Biden administration that accused police and fire departments of discriminatory hiring practices that went against DEI policies.
Some shit you should know before you read: Back when President Biden was in office, his Department of Justice filed multiple civil rights lawsuits against police and fire departments, alleging that their hiring practices, specifically written aptitude tests and physical fitness exams, disproportionately excluded both African American and female applicants. The DOJ argued that these tests did not effectively measure job performance and unfairly disadvantaged minority candidates, citing “disparate impact” as proof of discrimination even without evidence of intentional bias. Notable cases included a lawsuit against the Maryland State Police, where the DOJ claimed the department’s written exams discriminated against Black applicants, while its physical fitness test disproportionately disqualified women. Another case in Durham, North Carolina, targeted the city’s fire department for using a written exam where Black applicants passed at lower rates than White candidates, leading to a demand for back pay and preferential hiring.
What’s going on now: In an announcement, Senators Jon Husted (R-OH), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced the “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act,” a bipartisan bill aimed at banning the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek from US government devices. The legislation seeks to prevent potential national security threats posed by the AI platform, which lawmakers argue could be exploited by the Chinese Communist Party for data collection and disinformation campaigns. If passed, the bill would grant the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director the authority to remove DeepSeek from government systems.
Senator Husted stressed the risks associated with DeepSeek, warning that it is a “tool that perpetuates Communist China’s agenda—full stop. It exposes Americans’ data to our adversary’s government, lies to its users, and exploits American workers’ AI advances.” Senator Rosen echoed these concerns, calling for the need for proactive measures, saying, “As the artificial intelligence landscape continues to rapidly expand, the US must take steps to ensure Americans’ data and government systems remain protected against platforms—like DeepSeek—that are linked to our adversaries.”
In a statement, the DOJ said, “President Trump and Attorney General Bondi are dedicated to ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity nationwide, and in all sectors. But doing so is particularly important for front-line public-safety workers who protect our nation, including firefighters and police officers. Prioritizing DEI over merit when selecting firefighters and police officers jeopardizes public safety.”
