Three law students on Tuesday sued a U.S. civil rights agency, claiming that its probe into diversity policies at 20 large law firms is ille
gal and could expose the personal information of lawyers and job applicants.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., is the latest pushback again
st President Donald Trump’s efforts to rein in major law firms and eradicate workplace diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The law students claim that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s acting chair, Andrea Lucas, lacked the power to de
mand last month that 20 large law firms provide a trove of information on their diversity initiatives, which she suggested were discriminat
ory. The law firms included Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins and Perkins Coie.
The plaintiffs, who filed the lawsuit anonymously, said they had applied for jobs at several of the firms beginning this summer.
They said that if firms hand over the data to the EEOC, sensitive information w
ill be disclosed including their demographic and contact information, compensation and participation in DEI programs.
“Plaintiffs now have significant concerns … that the government may use th
eir data improperly to target them or their families for any activity or speech it wishes to stifle,” they said.
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An EEOC spokeswoman declined to comment.
Nine firms have entered into agreements with Trump, collectively pledging nearly $1 billion in legal work on causes supported by
his administration. Four of the firms that have settled also agreed to scrap diversity policies in exchange for the EEOC dropping its investigation into them.
Four other firms targeted by Trump have filed lawsuits, winning orders from judges blocking executive orders he has issued against them.
The commission enforces laws prohibiting workplace discrimination and can sue employers for violations and give workers permiss
ion to file their own lawsuits. Under federal law, the agency can launch an investigation only after receiving a written complaint from a worker.
A commissioner can also file a complaint, known as a charge, but is then prohibited from disclosing its existence.
The law students say that the EEOC’s announcement of the letters sent to la
w firms suggests that no formal complaints have been filed, and that as a result Lucas had no power to request the information.
Lucas, a Trump appointee, said in the letters to law firms that some firms had publicly touted their commitment to divers
ifying their workforces and at least two had adopted explicit numerical goals for recruiting lawyers based on their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.
