BREAKING: Pam Bondi drops DEI lawsuits brought by Biden against first responders

Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to dismiss lawsuits around the country regarding the hiring of firefighters and police officers that had been lodged by the Biden administration which "unjustly targeted fire and police departments for using standard aptitude tests to screen firefighter and police officer candidates."

The DOJ said in a press release, "Despite no evidence of intentional discrimination — only statistical disparities — the prior administration branded the aptitude tests at issue in these cases as discriminatory in an effort to advance a DEI agenda," and the Biden administration "sought to coerce cities into conducting DEI-based hiring in response and spending millions of dollars in taxpayer funds for payouts to previous applicants who had scored lower on the tests, regardless of qualifications."

The DOJ said that both Bondi and Trump are "dedicated to ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity nationwide, and in all sectors," but there was a particular stress on front-line public safety workers, for which "prioritizing DEI over merit" in hiring for these roles "jeopardizes public safety."

Bondi said in a statement, "American communities deserve firefighters and police officers to be chosen for their skill and dedication to public safety – not to meet DEI quotas."

President Trump has targeted DEI practices and programs since entering office, with federal agencies being ordered to close down DEI departments. His administration’s Department of Education has ordered schools to eliminate DEI policies in public schools or risk their federal funding.