The Biden Justice Department — often criticized for turning a blind eye to discrimination when it suits progressive priorities — has taken the unusual step of suing Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) over a union contract that openly prefers teachers based on race and sex. The lawsuit signals that even in today’s DEI-obsessed climate, there are still limits to how far school districts can go in abandoning merit and equal treatment.
According to the complaint filed in federal court, MPS’s collective bargaining agreement with its teachers’ union classifies educators by whether they belong to an “underrepresented population,” giving certain racial groups — and specifically “Black Men Teach Fellows” — priority in layoffs, reassignments, reinstatements and access to special benefits. Those advantages are denied to teachers who are white, Asian, female or otherwise not in the preferred categories.
“Discrimination is unacceptable in all forms, especially when it comes to hiring decisions,” said Minnesota Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Our public education system in Minnesota and across the country must be a bastion of merit and equal opportunity — not DEI.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who leads the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, echoed that sentiment, making clear that civil rights law applies to everyone — not just groups progressives deem worthy of special treatment.
“Employers may not provide more favorable terms and conditions of employment based on an employee’s race and sex,” Dhillon said. “The Department of Justice will vigorously pursue employers who deny their employees equal opportunities and benefits by classifying and limiting them based on their race, color, national origin or sex.”
The lawsuit highlights explicit quotas written into the district’s goals: by 2026, MPS aims to make 40% of its workforce “BIPOC,” and wants more than half of all new teacher hires to identify as “Black, Indigenous and People of Color.” Under the CBA, teachers who are not in these preferred groups can be pushed aside for layoffs or miss out on reinstatement opportunities solely due to their race or sex.
The complaint also calls out a third-party group, “Black Men Teach Fellows,” whose members receive special employment benefits unavailable to female teachers or non-black educators. Federal prosecutors say these practices violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin and sex.
The Justice Department is asking the court to declare the district’s race-based system illegal and to issue a permanent injunction blocking MPS from embedding similar DEI-driven preferences in future contracts.
This case stems from an investigation by the DOJ’s Employment Litigation Section, which found that Minneapolis Public Schools had institutionalized discrimination in the name of “equity.” If the lawsuit succeeds, it could set a major precedent limiting the use of racial quotas and preferences in public education nationwide.
At a time when many districts are doubling down on DEI ideology, the federal government’s action sends a rare but powerful message: equal opportunity still matters — and discrimination is discrimination, no matter who the target is.
