Most of the 20 major law firms that received letters declined to provide the requested information, and the agency said it “considers the matter of responding to those letters closed.”

Dive Brief:

• Three law students and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have agreed to end a lawsuit in which the students alleged the agency had been acting outside its authority in threatening to investigate the diversity, equity and inclusion practices of 20 major law firms (DOE 1, et. al. v. EEOC).
• In a stipulation of dismissal filed Monday, EEOC acknowledged response to letters requesting firms’ DEI information was voluntary, that compliance was not mandatory and that most firms did not provide the requested information. It also said it “considers the matter of responding to those letters closed.”
• The Democracy Forward Foundation, a left-leaning legal group that represented the students, characterized the step as a “significant victory,” saying the agency “retreated” and ended “an episode that had threatened the privacy and careers of current and future lawyers.” EEOC did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Dive Insight:

The lawsuit stemmed from a set of letters EEOC sent in March 2025 to 20 law firms, requesting information about their DEI practices, allegedly including personally identifiable information about law students who received fellowships and other positions.

In a statement released by then-Acting Chair Andrea Lucas, EEOC noted “concerns” the...

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