America First Legal Newsletter – October 24, 2025

We’re thrilled to bring you this week’s update from the front lines of America First Legal, featuring a powerful victory highlighting unlawful DEI agendas, our continued work to defend the U.S. Constitution, and critical efforts to protect election integrity—all important areas where AFL is fighting to preserve your freedoms and uphold justice.

THIS WEEK’S KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

VICTORY — City of Philadelphia Agrees to Eliminate Race- and Sex-Based Quotas in Landmark Settlement Related to Project Labor Agreements

AFL secured a major victory for equal treatment after the City of Philadelphia agreed to end its race- and sex-based quotas and discriminatory union mandates in public contracting. The city will now make its so-called “diversity goals” optional rather than mandatory, ensuring that no contractor is punished for refusing to meet identity-based targets.

For years, Philadelphia forced contractors to comply with unconstitutional DEI mandates that favored certain groups and unions. This settlement permanently ends those practices and sends a powerful warning to other cities imposing similar DEI quotas — these quotas violate federal law and will not stand. This is a decisive win for merit, fairness, and the rule of law, reaffirming that the government has no right to divide Americans by race or sex.

AFL has filed a federal civil rights complaint against the City of Portland and its Police Bureau for embedding radical, race-based policies throughout city government — policies that violate Title VI by discriminating on the basis of race. Instead of focusing on public safety, Portland has made “racial equity” its top priority, mandating that race drive decisions in hiring, promotions, technology use, and even law enforcement strategy. 

The Portland Police Bureau openly rejects a colorblind policy, insisting that “race is at the forefront” of its operations. Taxpayer dollars must not fund left-wing social experiments that undermine equal justice, demoralize law enforcement, and promote discrimination. The U.S. Constitution demands equal treatment under the law — not race-based preferences masquerading as progress.

University of Virginia to Dismantle Illegal DEI Infrastructure Following U.S. Department of Justice Investigation and America First Legal Complaint

The University of Virginia has agreed to dismantle its unlawful DEI bureaucracy following an extensive civil rights complaint from AFL and a months-long investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice that exposed the school’s discriminatory practices. This landmark agreement forces UVA to eliminate all race-, sex-, and identity-based programs and to certify full compliance with federal civil rights laws and U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

DOJ’s oversight represents one of the most sweeping federal enforcement actions against DEI in higher education, and helps ensure that taxpayer dollars no longer fund ideological discrimination. AFL’s efforts delivered a decisive victory for equal protection, merit-based governance, and the rule of law. This outcome sends a clear message: universities that defy the U.S. Constitution in the name of “diversity” will face real consequences.

America First Legal’s Petition for Proof of Citizenship Rule Draws Over 350,000 Comments and Support from 14 States, Members of Congress, and Election Integrity Leaders

AFL’s petition to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has reached a major milestone with the close of its public comment period — marking a historic step forward for election integrity. The petition, which calls for requiring documentary proof of citizenship for federal voter registration, received overwhelming support from the American people, with over 350,000 comments submitted. Backed by fourteen states led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, numerous members of Congress, and key election integrity organizations, this effort reflects a powerful nationwide demand for commonsense ballot protections.

AFL’s petition exposes a serious flaw in the current system that relies on self-attestation rather than verified proof of citizenship, urging the EAC to close this dangerous loophole. The EAC now faces a clear choice: act to defend the U.S. Constitution, uphold the rule of law, and protect the integrity of America’s elections.

AFL praised Texas for taking bold, commonsense action to protect election integrity by identifying over 2,700 potential non-citizens on its voter rolls and launching a statewide verification effort.

Using tools outlined in AFL’s Election Integrity Action Plan, Texas proved that states can lawfully use federal immigration data to clean up their rolls, enforce the law, and restore trust in elections. This success builds on federal data access first secured under the Trump Administration — a major win for transparency and accountability. 

America First Legal Expands Investigation into the City of Portland to Uncover the Portland Police Bureau’s Involvement with Antifa and Anti-ICE Groups

AFL has expanded its investigation into the City of Portland, filing new Freedom of Information Act requests to expose the Portland Police Bureau’s ties to Antifa and anti-ICE groups — aiming to determine whether Portland officials allowed radical activists to disrupt federal operations, attack reporters, and protect violent extremists. 

AFL is also investigating how the city may have helped anti-ICE groups, such as the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition, secure office space near ICE facilities. Reports suggest the city partnered with left-wing organizations to provide these groups with resources and access. Our efforts seek to uncover the full extent of Portland’s coordination with Antifa-linked networks and its role in promoting lawlessness under the guise of “equity.”

America First Legal Stands with Trump Administration, Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Uphold President Trump’s Deployment of the National Guard to Restore Order in Chicago

AFL filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold President Trump’s clear constitutional authority to deploy the National Guard and restore order in lawless cities like Chicago. Officials in Illinois are attempting to block the Commander in Chief from doing his duty — protecting federal officers and enforcing the law — by asking courts to second-guess presidential judgment, something the U.S. Constitution does not allow.

Under long-established law, including Martin v. Mott, only the President can decide when federal intervention is needed, especially when local leaders refuse to act. The chaos in Chicago, where police refused to assist the surrounded federal agents, proves exactly why such authority must remain with the President. This case is about restoring law, order, and the U.S. Constitution — not expanding power, but exercising it when liberal-run cities abandon their responsibilities.

America First Legal Urges U.S. Supreme Court to Overrule Humphrey’s Executor and Restore President Trump’s Constitutional Control of the Executive Branch

AFL filed an amicus brief in Trump v. Slaughter, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to restore the President’s constitutional authority to remove executive officials. For nearly a century, the flawed Humphrey’s Executor decision has allowed unaccountable bureaucrats in “independent” agencies like the FTC to wield executive power without presidential oversight.

This case is about restoring the separation of powers and ending Congress’s unconstitutional interference in executive functions. Overturning Humphrey’s Executor would return accountability to the American people and reinforce the President’s rightful authority under the U.S. Constitution.

America First Legal Exposes the Radical Left’s Influence on the Biden Department of Justice in the Weeks After October 7, 2023

AFL has uncovered damning DOJ documents showing that, in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, the Biden Administration downplayed the explosion of antisemitism in America while collaborating with far-left groups like the SPLC to push a radical political agenda. Instead of defending Jewish communities under siege, Biden’s DOJ prioritized concerns about potential backlash against Muslims and pro-Palestinian activists, completely ignoring the real violence and harassment Jewish Americans were facing.

Meeting agendas were shaped — and in some cases, outright written — by leftist organizations, sidelining antisemitism in favor of pushing narratives about white supremacy and “anti-LGBTQ+ violence.” Even as antisemitic incidents surged, DOJ officials gave special access and influence to groups with a history of anti-Israel or antisemitic rhetoric. Biden’s DOJ was used as a tool by the radical Left — weaponized to serve political allies rather than protect all Americans equally.

America First Legal is Now Accepting Applications for Its Spring Law Clerk Program

We are now accepting applications for our  Spring 2026 Law Clerk Program. This D.C.-based (with remote option) clerkship offers 2L and 3L law students with hands-on legal experience rooted in America First principles.

Applications are due by November 24.

Learn more and apply HERE.

AMERICA FIRST LEGAL IN THE NEWS: 

New York Post: Woke Portland slapped with civil rights complaint over ‘race-first’ DEI policies: ‘Institutionalized modern discrimination’

“Ultra-woke Portland could face a federal investigation over its use of alleged ‘race-first’ policies across the Oregon city — despite claiming to have rolled back its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The City of Roses has been accused of ‘institutionalized modern discrimination’ during its push to abandon racial ‘colorblind’ policies in hiring and policing, according to a new complaint from America First Legal, a conservative advocacy group.

America First Legal, which has filed similar discrimination complaints in the past, such as its civil rights filing against Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore over the summer, argued that Portland is violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race-based discrimination.”

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