by Adam S. Hickey, Marcia E. Goodman, Ruth Zadikany, and Hiral D. Mehta
Left to right: Adam S. Hickey, Marcia E. Goodman, Ruth Zadikany, and Hiral D. Mehta (photos courtesy of Mayer Brown)
On July 29, 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination (the “Guidance”). Following the creation of the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative by the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), and joint guidance issued by DOJ and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) on “unlawful DEI-related discrimination“, the Guidance is the most tangible guidance released to date on what the administration views as “illegal DEI” and a likely roadmap for DOJ’s False Claims Act (“FCA”) investigations under the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative.