America First Legal Newsletter – November 7, 2025

Current events remind us daily of our vital importance and exactly why America First Legal exists. Our mission endures—to fight for the lawful rights of all Americans, to defend the Constitution, and to save America’s Founding Principles from assault regardless of its source. Just this week, AFL has been focused on:

• Defeating DEI across Virginia

• Protecting Parental Rights in Illinois

• Championing Constitutional Principles

THIS WEEK’S KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

AFL has filed three federal civil rights complaints with the United States Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division against the cities of Alexandria and Richmond, and Arlington County, Virginia, for violating Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act through all these local governments’ discriminatory “equity” and DEI mandates. These jurisdictions have replaced lawful color-blind, merit-based governance with race-based quotas, preferences, and ideological conformity—policies that openly reject equal treatment under the law. AFL’s filings follow the Left’s recent electoral gains in Virginia, signaling  a deeper entrenchment of radical DEI bureaucracies statewide. Each city has partnered with the Soros-funded Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), embedding activist ideology into local law and hiring. AFL vows to continue fighting to restore true equality and the rule of law, ensuring taxpayer funds are never used to promote racial favoritism or political indoctrination.

This morning, November 7, America First Legal President Gene Hamilton moderated a “Fireside Chat” at the Federalist Society’s 2025 National Lawyers Convention, featuring an exclusive Q&A session with United States Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. You can watch the full conversation here. 

America First Legal Calls for Federal Investigation into Illinois’ State-Mandated Mental Health Screenings of Students

AFL has filed a federal complaint urging the U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office to investigate Illinois’ new law that forces annual mental health screenings on students in grades 3–12 without their parents' or guardians’ consent. The  law, AFL argues, blatantly violates the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), which requires schools to obtain explicit parental permission before subjecting children to personal or psychological evaluations. By empowering the state to question children about their emotions and family life, Illinois is stripping parents of their rightful authority and treating families as potential suspects under state surveillance. AFL asserts that this law is both unconstitutional and a dangerous overreach of government power. AFL’s action sends a clear message: parents, not bureaucrats, have the God-given and constitutional right to guide their children’s upbringing and well-being.

Also, this morning, November 7, AFL’s President Gene Hamilton participated in the Federalist Society’s 2025 National Lawyers Convention panel titled “Immigration and Originalism.” This year marked the Federalist Society’s first year having an Immigration Practice Group, which Gene is heading. You can watch the full discussion here.

The panel examined how originalism informs key immigration issues, including:

• What do the tools of originalism teach us about significant immigration legal issues? For example, what was the President’s authority to remove aliens at the time of the Founding? 

• How much of immigration is left to the President versus Congress? 

• What can originalism tell us about immigration and due process?
  

AMERICA FIRST LEGAL IN THE NEWS: 

AFL President Gene Hamilton joins The Evening Edit to discuss the Left’s “weaponization” claims

WATCH: AFL Senior Counsel Ian Prior Joins Fox 5 to Discuss Our Lawsuit Against LCPS

AFL President Gene Hamilton Joins The Faulkner Focus

Fox News: Top Virginia cities in the hot seat as Trump-aligned group demands DOJ probe of DEI mandates

"America First Legal (AFL) sent three more civil rights complaints to the Department of Justice's Office of Civil Rights this week requesting it investigate the Virginia cities of Richmond, Alexandria and Arlington for violating Title VI and Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as Trump's Executive Orders on discriminatory DEI initiatives, via its city and county programs, hiring, and public services.

AFL argues the cities receive federal grant money and distribute it across their city governments in various departments and for multiple purposes, opening them up to federal scrutiny. "

Fox News: Former Trump official warns Mamdani victory would mark ‘Marxist shift’ for New York City

"America First Legal’s Gene Hamilton tells Fox News Digital New York’s political shift and immigration crisis are ‘symptoms of decades of ideological suicide.’

'I could never fathom the thought of having a Marxist leading my city, the crown jewel city of the United States, of the world, of the free world,' Gene Hamilton, America First Legal co-founder and president, told Fox News Digital."

Washington Post: Trump’s foe in tariffs case? A legal group funded by conservatives

"On the other side, think tanks and legal groups that have played a role in shaping Trump’s policies, including the America First Policy Institute and America First Legal Foundation, have supported the administration’s position. America First Legal Foundation was co-founded by Stephen Miller, now Trump’s deputy chief of staff."

Fox News: Pro-Trump legal group launches toolkit to help parents challenge ‘woke’ lessons in schools

"America First Legal unveils 'opt-out' template letter for parents in response to a SCOTUS ruling.

Earlier this year, Fox News Digital reported that American First Legal set up a website it calls the 'The Parent and Student Action Center,' which it describes as a 'hub' for parents and students to gather information and share their stories."

The Federalist: Dems Try To Sabotage Push For Proof Of Citizenship To Vote

"In the meantime, the EAC is considering an America First Legal Foundation petition calling for the commission to adopt a proof of citizenship rule by amending EAC regulations and the National Mail Voter Registration Form.

Before the close of the public comment period on Oct. 20, the petition had garnered more than 350,000 comments. America First Legal announced the proof of citizenship proposal earned support from 14 states, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Republican members of Congress, leading election integrity organizations, and state election administrators."

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