The first legal challenge to Executive Order 13950 (the “Order”) has been made. On October 29, 2020, the NAACP, representing the National Urban League, and the National Fair Housing Alliance, filed a civil rights class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (Case No. 1:20-cv-03121), requesting injunctive and declaratory relief against the President of the United States, the U.S. Secretary of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor. Specifically, the lawsuit seeks for the Court to strike down the Order, declaring it unlawful and invalid, arguing it violates inter alia the First Amendment protection of free speech and the Fifth Amendment equal protection clause.

The lawsuit is in response to an Order, entitled “Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping,” issued on September 22, 2020, prohibiting federal government contractors (“Contractors”), as well as federal agencies and the military, from using a workplace training program that “inculcates in [their] employees any form of race or sex stereotyping or any form of race or sex scapegoating.” As we indicated in our Act Now Advisory, Executive Order Prohibits Inclusion of “Divisive” Concepts in Workplace Training, the Order prohibits those Contractors entering into new contracts, beginning November 21, 2020, from incorporating certain “divisive” concepts, set forth in the Order, such as systemic racism, white privilege, male privilege, and the idea that the United States is a racist country, into diversity and awareness training programs. The Order also directs all federal agencies to review their respective grant programs and identify programs which may require recipients to certify that federal funds will not be used to promote the concepts prohibited by the Order.

The NAACP stated, in support of the lawsuit,

Despite the urgent need to address and remedy systemic discrimination and counter the harms stemming from implicit biases, EO 13950 unconstitutionally forces Plaintiffs to choose between censoring speech on these important issues or forfeiting any opportunity to enter into a federal contract for the provision of goods or services or to receive federal funds as a grant recipient. The infringement of Plaintiffs’ private speech on these matters of public concern and public welfare is deeply troubling… This censorship of Plaintiffs’ speech by the federal government is anathema to a free democracy.

The NAACP argues that (i) Plaintiffs have been and will be irreparably harmed by the President’s ultra vires Order issued in violation of the First Amendment and have no adequate remedy at law; (ii) the Order is unconstitutionally vague in violation of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause; and (iii) the stated justifications and policy rationales for the Order are pre-textual and meant to obfuscate its impermissible discriminatory purpose. For relief, the NAACP requests that the Court order a declaration that the Order is unlawful and invalid, and issue a permanent injunction enjoining the President of the United States, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Labor from implementing or enforcing any part of the Order.

While the NAACP seeks immediate relief, federal government contractors will need to take a wait-and-see approach as the litigation plays out, with many variables at play, including potential appeals to the United State Supreme Court, and the outcome of the presidential election.

Back to Workforce Bulletin Blog

Search This Blog

Blog Editors

Authors

Related Services

Topics

Archives

Jump to Page

Subscribe

Sign up to receive an email notification when new Workforce Bulletin posts are published:

Privacy Preference Center

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.