Friend –

The president cannot fire dedicated and effective federal workers simply because of who they are or what the Trump administration thinks they believe.

We made that clear on March 26, when we filed a class-action complaint on behalf of federal employees across multiple agencies targeted by the Trump administration for their participation in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities. The complaint alleges that the administration's attacks on these federal workers violate the First Amendment and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Here's what the complaint says:

1. The Trump administration unlawfully targeted federal workers with any connection to diversity, equity, and inclusion activities.
2. This broad sweep of terminations and other attacks even included people who no longer participated in DEI activities but who had in the past held a DEI-related position or even just once took a DEI-related training.
3. Such targeting shows the Trump administration's true motive: to punish people for what the administration perceived as their political views.
4. In practice, this targeting has had an outsized effect on federal workers who are women, non-binary, and people of color.

With this sweep, the Trump administration targeted experienced and effective professionals with enormous talents and knowledge who provided critical services in public health, public safety, and other critical areas. Ultimately, this attack harms the American people and the government services we all rely on.

That's why we are fighting back. And we're inviting you to join us in the next step of this fight: our rally to reinstate our federal workers.

This isn't just about fired federal workers – it's about all of us and our most fundamental rights and liberties.

Thank you for all you do to protect our democracy and our values.

ACLU of the District of Columbia