Justice Department opens investigation into Minnesota for alleged hiring discrimination
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (left) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (right) await the arrival of then-Vice President Kamala Harris at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on March 14, 2024. | Stephen Maturen/AFP via Getty Images
By Jacob Wendler
07/10/2025 05:14 PM EDT
The Department of Justice announced Thursday that its Civil Rights Division is investigating the state of Minnesota for possible hiring discrimination, setting up another clash between the Trump administration and the state's Democratic leadership.
The investigation hinges on a policy issued earlier this month by the Minnesota Department of Human Services mandating that hiring supervisors provide a 'hiring justification when seeking to hire a non-underrepresented candidate,' according to a Thursday letter sent to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison from Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.
Attorney General Pam Bondi's DOJ has pursued an aggressive crackdown on states and universities that engage in affirmative action policies, opening similar investigations into Rhode Island and the University of California.
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