1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to express grave concern over the President's new executive order that severely undermines the enforcement of key anti-discrimination provisions in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This order deprioritizes the use of "disparate impact" analysis, which has been a vital tool for uncovering and addressing seemingly neutral policies or practices that nevertheless produce discriminatory effects, often unintentionally perpetuating systemic racism and other biases. By greenlighting hiring and employment practices with disparate impacts, this order opens the door for rampant discrimination as long as it is not overtly stated. Decades of progress in expanding equal opportunity could be reversed. Evaluating whether policies disproportionately disadvantage protected groups based on race, gender, disability status, etc. is essential for identifying and remedying unfair barriers. Abandoning this enforcement mechanism undermines true meritocracy and equal access. The President's justifications ring hollow, as the order comes amid efforts to target firms perceived as ideological opponents and boosting unqualified loyalists. I urge you to speak out against this damaging rollback of civil rights protections and work to uphold our nation's commitment to outlawing all forms of discrimination in employment and other areas of life. Thank you for your consideration of this crucial matter.