The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has launched an investigation into the State of Rhode Island regarding potential race-based discrimination in its state employment practices.
The state of Rhode Island mandates that state agencies set hiring targets that are effectively race-based employment quotas.
These statutorily mandated goals pressure state agencies to engage in discriminatory and potentially unlawful hiring practices.
The Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section opened the investigation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, national origin, and other protected characteristics.
“The state of Rhode Island’s official hiring policy embraces racial discrimination, something the Supreme Court has long held to be unlawful,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Dhillon added, “Discrimination in the name of ‘diversity’ is not only fundamentally unjust, but it also violates federal law.
“The Civil Rights Division will investigate Rhode Island’s discriminatory policy and take appropriate action if warranted.”
