Minority-owned firms face ‘crisis’ as affirmative action programs fall
Minority- and women-owned businesses are bracing for the end of affirmative action in federal contracting—and the potential loss of contracts worth at least $70 billion a year.
Diversity
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DEI litigation shows hit to targeted programs in US
Discussions around improving diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace have unfolded throughout the United States for decades, dating back to the 1960s with the establishment of equal employment laws and affirmative action.
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Report: Women now comprise majority of law associates
The National Association for Law Placement released its annual Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms in January, with the report showing women now constitute the majority of all law associates for the first time since NALP began gathering data in the early 1990s.
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Public colleges preparing for new state law that calls for ‘intellectual diversity’
Under the new law, faculty members at public universities will be required to teach scholarly works “from a variety of political or ideological frameworks” within the faculty member’s purview of instruction.
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‘Home away from home’: IU Maurer Black Law Students Association earns national recognition
A student group at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law is getting national attention after winning an award.
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Articles
IndyBar: New DEI Director Recruiting Committee Members
All are needed, and all are welcome. That’s the message Ranissa Dycus, Associate General Counsel at American Senior Communities, intends to spread as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director for the Indianapolis Bar Association and Foundation Boards of Directors.
More moms are serving as Indiana legislators — but far fewer than should be, new report says
The number of Indiana lawmakers who are also moms of minor-aged children has boosted significantly since 2022, but family and women’s advocates maintain there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
Law schools, firms create programs to build pipeline of diverse attorneys
With the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to effectively end affirmative action in college admissions, universities and law firms are looking for new ways to continue diversity efforts.
Greising on DEI: Let’s face the national headwinds with perseverance
The headwinds seem particularly strong right now—from the attacks on programs aligned with DEI objectives to lawsuits to block priority programs. Even law firms are getting sued and threatened over DEI programs.
Star Martinez: Navigating Indiana’s legal system with a lack of Spanish speakers
Navigating the legal system for the first time can be difficult for anyone that isn’t a lawyer, but can you imagine trying to do so without speaking English fluently?
IndyBar: ‘The Seat is Yours’ Volunteer Opportunity
These breakfasts have been a low-key avenue to introduce lawyers and law students from underrepresented groups to local lawyers, law firms and legal departments serious about communicating that their voices are valued.
ACLU files new lawsuit over SEA 202, citing policies at Purdue, IU
The ACLU of Indiana filed a new lawsuit over SEA 202, a law requiring professors to be disciplined for not fostering “a culture of free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity,” citing policies recently enacted at Purdue University and Indiana University.
The First Amendment and practical implications of SEA 202
During the 2024 legislative session, the Indiana General Assembly passed Senate Enrolled Act 202-2024 (Senate Bill 202), which was promoted by Republican lawmakers as a mechanism for increasing “intellectual diversity” within Indiana’s public colleges and universities.
U.S. District Court dismisses ACLU lawsuit over new tenure law
The U.S. District Court for Southern Indiana granted a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the trustees of Purdue University and Indiana University over a new law requiring trustees to implement policies regarding faculty tenure.
Indiana Attorney General files to dismiss challenge to state’s ‘intellectual diversity’ law
The measure was adopted by the General Assembly over concerns that conservative viewpoints were being stifled on campuses and signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb in March.
Conservatives use shooting at Trump rally to attack DEI efforts at Secret Service
Several Republican lawmakers seized on gender and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the Secret Service as among the reasons for security lapses during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
IndyBar’s Newest Diversity CLE Event: ‘A Morning of Meaningful Conversations’
Indianapolis Bar Association has developed a new DEI-centered event titled: IndyBar Unites: A Morning of Meaningful Conversations.
IndyBar: Remembering and Honoring Their Contributions: A Celebration of AAPI Heritage Month
In Indiana, Asian Pacific Americans make up 1.8% of the population and is the fastest growing minority group in the legal community nationwide.
Rokita, other GOP state attorneys push back on Biden’s proposed diversity rules for apprenticeship programs
A Biden administration plan to promote diversity and equity in workplace apprenticeship programs is facing pushback from Republican attorneys general in Indiana and nearly two dozen other states who assert it amounts to race-based discrimination.
Supreme Court leaves in place admissions plan at elite Virginia public high school
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place the admissions policy at an elite public high school in Virginia that some parents claimed discriminates against highly qualified Asian Americans.
DEI opponents are using a 1866 Civil Rights law to challenge equity policies in the workplace
Opponents of workplace diversity programs are increasingly banking on a section of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 to challenge equity policies as well as funding to minority-owned businesses.
Lawsuit alleges Wisconsin Bar Association minority program is unconstitutional
A conservative law firm filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging that the State Bar of Wisconsin’s “diversity clerkship program” unconstitutionally discriminates based on race.
Creating opportunities: Mills to retire from Barnes after trailblazing career
Being a first and an only is something Barnes & Thornburg LLP partner Alan Mills has worked to prevent from happening ever again.
NAPABA brings annual convention to Indianapolis: November event to feature speakers, panel discussions on AANHPI issues
The convention is an annual gathering of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander attorneys, judges, law professors and law students and features dozens of speakers and a full agenda of panel discussions and continuing legal education programs.