When employers think about discrimination risk, they usually focus on familiar protected categories such as race, sex, ethnicity, age, disability, or religion. But a recent settlement announced by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) underscores a growing and less understood enforcement area: discrimination against U.S. workers based on citizenship and…
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On Dec. 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a federal lawsuit against Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), alleging unlawful race- and sex-based employment practices embedded in the district’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA). According to the complaint, MPS prioritized teachers who belonged to “underrepresented populations,” set explicit numerical staffing goals for “BIPOC” employees, and…
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As 2026 approaches, the compliance landscape shaped by Executive Order 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” is entering a more enforcement-focused phase. Based on the recent HR Unlimited Roundtable with former OFCCP and EEOC leaders, federal contractors must brace for a dramatic and high-stakes shift in anti-discrimination enforcement in 2026. The focus is…
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To remain compliant and competitive under EO 14173, federal contractors should take immediate steps to realign their policies, data practices, and contracting procedures with the new merit-based framework. The first step is to map your organization’s federal exposure. Identify all contracts, subcontracts, and grants, both prime and sub, with federal agencies, including any flow-down obligations….
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Eight months after the issuance of Executive Order 14173, the federal contracting community has entered a new compliance era, one defined not by the creation of Affirmative Action Plans, but by the ability to prove nondiscrimination through certification. The transition from Executive Order 11246 to EO 14173 may have simplified paperwork, but it also raised…
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