Attorney General Pam Bondi ended federal lawsuits that the Biden administration had filed against local police and fire departments over their merit-based hiring policies.
Under the Biden administration, the DOJ’s Office of Civil Rights sued local first responders for prioritizing merit in hiring rather than making race-based decisions.
“Despite no evidence of intentional discrimination—only statistical disparities—the prior administration branded the aptitude tests at issue in these cases as discriminatory to advance a DEI agenda,” the DOJ said in a news release.
“And it sought to coerce cities into conducting DEI-based hiring in response and spending millions of dollars in taxpayer funds for payouts to previous applicants who had scored lower on the tests, regardless of qualifications,” the news release added.
President Donald Trump signed executive orders ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies within the federal government. Bondi’s decision this week marks the latest development in the ongoing effort to roll back DEI initiatives under the new administration.
Bondi’s office stated that DEI policies pose a threat to public safety and indicated that dismissing the cases represents an “early step toward eradicating illegal DEI preferences across the government and in the private sector.”
“American communities deserve firefighters and police officers to be chosen for their skill and dedication to public safety – not to meet DEI quotas,” Bondi said.
The proposed consent decrees typically acknowledged that the departments used neutral selection criteria, such as credit checks, written exams, and physical fitness tests, to evaluate candidates for open positions. However, White men tended to achieve higher scores or perform better on these assessments.
For instance, a lawsuit filed in October against the City of Durham, North Carolina, alleged “unintentional” discrimination against Black applicants, citing that they failed to meet the required 70% passing score on the written exam at a lower rate than White candidates, resulting in fewer Black hires.
As a remedy, the complaint proposed eliminating the neutral written test and providing “back pay and/or preferential hiring” for Black candidates who were not selected due to their exam performance. The estimated cost of these measures was approximately $980,000 in monetary relief.
In a separate case filed against the Maryland State Police in October 2024, it was proposed that the agency discontinue its current selection methods, which included a written test requiring a score of 70% or higher and a physical assessment consisting of push-ups, sit-ups, a flexibility reach, a trigger pull, and a 1.5-mile run, Fox added.
The proposed changes called for eliminating the previous selection criteria and allocating $2.75 million in monetary relief to Black candidates who were not hired due to written test results and women who were not hired due to physical test performance. The DOJ stated that similar lawsuits had also been filed against the cities of South Bend, Indiana, and Cobb County, Georgia, Fox noted further.
Bondi has been busy this month.
The Justice Department charged a man in connection with the vandalism of a Tesla dealership and the arson of the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters, according to court records unsealed Monday.
Jamison R. Wagner, 40, faces federal arson-related charges tied to last month’s fire at GOP headquarters and a February incident at a Tesla dealership in Bernalillo. Authorities say two Tesla Model Y vehicles were set on fire, with swastikas painted on their windshields and graffiti messages including “Die Elon” and “Die Tesla Nazi.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is spearheading the Trump administration’s contentious attempts to reduce federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency and the federal government’s workforce, has been the target of protests at Tesla showrooms.
The arrest is part of a broader federal crackdown on what Attorney General Pam Bondi has correctly described as a surge in domestic terrorism targeting property associated with Musk’s electric vehicle company. Bondi previewed the arrest during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, highlighting recent efforts by federal law enforcement to pursue vandals who have been attacking Tesla-related sites in recent weeks.
Wagner is also facing charges related to a fire last month at the headquarters of the New Mexico Republican Party in Albuquerque. Authorities said the blaze severely damaged the building’s entrance and caused extensive smoke damage throughout the office.
In addition, Republican officials discovered graffiti sprayed on the side of the building roughly 50 feet from the entrance, reading “ICE = KKK,” according to state GOP Chair Amy Barela.
The Justice Department has filed charges in four additional cases involving individuals accused of using Molotov cocktails to target Tesla vehicles and fire stations. In response to the growing number of incidents, the FBI established a task force last month to coordinate investigative efforts with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF).
Bondi indicated there will be no plea deals for those charged in the Tesla-related attacks, telling President Trump during a White House meeting Thursday, “There will be no negotiations, at your directive.”
