The Justice Department has decided to drop a series of cases that aimed to compel police and fire departments to change their hiring practices, which the Biden administration previously claimed were discriminatory. This development was announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday. This decision aligns with the broader efforts of the Trump administration to retract government support for initiatives that promote diversity.
According to an official from the Justice Department, the administration is discontinuing four cases, including one involving a settlement agreement that emerged from an inquiry into biased hiring methods impacting Black and female candidates applying to the Maryland State Police. This move is part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s larger agenda to reverse diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which Republicans argue could potentially undermine merit-based hiring systems.
“American communities deserve their firefighters and police officers to be selected based on their skills and commitment to public safety rather than fulfilling DEI quotas,” stated the Attorney General in a written statement.
Regarding the Maryland case, the Biden administration had declared in October that an agreement was reached with state police to modify applicant testing procedures. This update followed allegations that the police used a written examination that discriminated against Black applicants and a physical fitness test that disadvantaged female candidates.
The Biden administration reported that the tests resulted in the disqualification of Black and female applicants at much higher rates than their counterparts, asserting that these practices breached federal laws against employment discrimination based on race, sex, color, national origin, and religion.
Chad Mizelle, Bondi’s chief of staff, voiced on social media that the Biden administration tried to penalize police and fire departments for using neutral hiring methods, despite arguing that there was “no evidence of intentional discrimination” by the departments.
The Maryland State Police were not immediately available for comments on Wednesday evening.
Other affected cases pertained to fire or police departments located in North Carolina, Georgia, and Indiana, according to Mizelle.
Upon entering office, Trump issued a directive for federal agencies to terminate all grants or contracts related to equity. In a subsequent order, he mandated that federal contractors certify non-promotion of DEI principles.
