The interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia is demanding that Georgetown Law School dismantle all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, warning that his office will not hire anyone from universities that implement DEI policies.
In a letter this week addressed to Georgetown Law dean William Treanor, Trump-appointed interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin said DEI programs are "unacceptable" and said he will investigate the institution for promoting DEI. "First, have you eliminated all DEI from your school and its curriculum?" Martin asked. "Second, if DEI is found in your courses or teaching in anyway [sic], will you move swiftly to remove it?"
Martin noted that, "at this time, no applicant for our fellows program, our summer internship, or employment in our office who is a student or affiliated with a law school or university that continues to teach and utilize DEI will be considered."
The letter comes amid the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate DEI and reinstate a race-blind, merit-based system. Trump, who in an executive order called the Biden administration's DEI initiatives "illegal and immoral discrimination programs," has signed orders banning DEI in all federal agencies and the military.
The Department of Education last month threatened to pull federal funding from universities unless they eliminate DEI and "racial preferences" in admissions, financial aid, and hiring. The Trump administration has also launched an online portal called "End DEI," allowing citizens to report DEI practices in public schools.
Georgetown spokeswoman Meghan Dubyak in a statement to the Washington Post defended the university's DEI programs, saying they are "protected by the First Amendment."