Trump Moves To End Legal Tool Used To Fight Discrimination: Live Updates
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order directing federal agencies to stop using a long-standing legal standard known as “disparate impact liability,” a cornerstone of civil rights enforcement for over 50 years. The move significantly alters how discrimination cases are investigated and prosecuted across the federal government.
What to Know:
- The executive order instructs agencies to abandon policies based on disparate impact, which has been used to show how neutral practices can disproportionately harm minority groups, The New York Times reports.
- Civil rights advocates say the directive threatens key protections under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
- The order is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies.
- Legal experts expect the policy change to face court challenges, particularly over its impact on civil rights enforcement.
- The Justice Department and Education Department have already begun rolling back investigations and agreements tied to the now-sidelined standard.
- Supporters of the order say the shift restores a focus on individual merit and eliminates what they call race-based legal assumptions.
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RFK Jr trashes ‘absurd attacks on Casey Means amid MAGA backlash
Dr. Casey Means, a wellness influencer, left, and journalist Megyn Kelly, attend a confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the Secretary of Health and Human Services post, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan….
AP
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a fiery statement in defense of Casey Means, who has been nominated for U.S. surgeon general, amid widespread backlash that has included at least two prominent MAGA figures.
“The absurd attacks on Casey Means reveal just how far off course our healthcare conversations have veered,” the health secretary began a lengthy statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for comment via email.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Casey Means, a wellness advocate and social media influencer with close ties to Kennedy, for U.S. surgeon general after withdrawing his initial pick, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, from Senate consideration.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Means had “impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials,” referencing the Make America Healthy Again movement. He added, “Her academic achievements, together with her life’s work, are absolutely outstanding.”
Means holds a medical degree from Stanford, but her Oregon medical license has been inactive since 2019, which has sparked criticism of her nomination.
