America First Legal Newsletter – December 20, 2025

America First Legal wishes you and your family a Merry Christmas! We thank you for your steadfast support as we continue advancing the fight to protect our nation’s values. Below are key accomplishments that show how your partnership helps us defend public safety, uphold civil rights, and put America First. This week, AFL’s highlights include:

• Filing a landmark lawsuit on behalf of a client against Bausch & Lomb and others for engaging in racial discrimination in board appointments. 

• Filing a federal civil rights complaint against the largest publishing company in the world. 

• Filing a federal civil rights complaint against a Colorado school district for branding student misconduct “culturally appropriate” and blocking student discipline based on race.

• Testifying before Congress about abuses of the Temporary Protected Status program.

• Backing the Department of Transportation’s efforts to address safety threats posed by illegal alien commercial truck drivers

THIS WEEK’S KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

AFL has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Bausch + Lomb for its egregious racial discrimination by illegally conditioning a board appointment on race in clear violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1981. The complaint alleges the company imposed a diversity quota requiring that a non-white individual be appointed to the Bausch + Lomb board of directors, thereby deliberately excluding AFL’s client, a highly qualified white executive. The complaint further alleges that Bausch + Lomb concealed its discriminatory requirement through a secret side agreement in order to prioritize ideological diversity mandates over shareholder value and merit.

This unlawful scheme caused serious financial and professional harm to AFL’s client and interfered with his employment contract. The company also shirked its fiduciary duties to its shareholders and employees. The case squarely challenges whether corporate elites can ignore civil rights laws to engage in race-based social engineering at the expense of equality and the rule of law.

America First Legal Files Federal Civil Rights Complaint Against Penguin Random House, World’s Largest Trade Publisher, for Illegal Race- and Sex-Based Employment Practices

AFL has filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Penguin Random House (PRH), alleging unlawful race- and sex-based discrimination embedded in the company’s DEI-driven hiring and promotion practices. Despite public claims of equal opportunity, the world’s largest trade publisher openly prioritizes racial and gender outcomes, tracks “White versus BIPOC” representation, and holds leadership accountable for meeting diversity quotas rather than merit. These practices violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which clearly prohibits employment decisions based on race or sex.

AFL’s complaint urges the EEOC to initiate an investigation into PRH’s DEI programs, leadership accountability systems, and workforce policies. Corporate social engineering has no place in American workplaces, and civil rights law demands equal treatment, not ideological discrimination. AFL will continue to call out companies and other entities that engage in violations of our federal civil rights laws.

America First Legal Files Federal Civil Rights Complaint Against Colorado School District for Branding Student Misconduct “Culturally Appropriate” and Blocking Student Discipline Based on Race

AFL filed a federal civil rights complaint calling for an immediate investigation into Cherry Creek School District for allegedly violating Title VI by enforcing race-based discipline and personnel decisions. According to whistleblower recordings, district “equity” officials excused disruptive behavior by Black students as “culturally appropriate,” blamed concerns from staff on the “whiteness” of the school, and overrode consequences using this racial framework — creating unequal treatment under the law.

The complaint highlights cases where students of different races committed the same misconduct but received vastly different discipline, undermining basic fairness and accountability. The district also removed a high-performing dean after he expressed patriotic views and questioned ideological equity training, then falsely claimed budget cuts as justification. This is blatant racial discrimination funded by taxpayers and AFL is calling on the federal government to step in and restore equal treatment, the rule of law, and common-sense standards in public schools.

America First Legal Senior Counsel James Rogers Testifies Before House Judiciary Subcommittee on Abuse of Temporary Protected Status Program

AFL Senior Counsel James Rogers testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement at a hearing on the impacts of Temporary Protected Status (TPS). James served at the U.S. Department of State from 2015 through 2021, after which he returned to private practice before joining AFL. James shared his expertise with the committee, detailing how TPS has been repeatedly abused and expanded beyond its original intent. This has significantly harmed American workers, communities, and our national sovereignty. The TPS program must be abandoned or overhauled.

Watch the opening statement here, and read the full written testimony here.

America First Legal Backs the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Overhaul of Commercial Driver’s License Compliance to Address Safety Threat Posed by Foreign Drivers

AFL submitted a public comment backing the U.S. Department of Transportation’s interim final rule to restore protections to the American people whose lives are at risk because of  lax rules or enforcement in the issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses. The comment details deadly crashes involving foreign nationals who lacked lawful status or basic English proficiency, yet were still allowed to operate massive commercial trucks due to state noncompliance. Federal audits show widespread abuse, with states like California, New York, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania illegally issuing tens of thousands of CDLs in violation of federal law.

The interim rule tightens eligibility to legal immigrants with work authorization, strengthens identity and status verification, and forces states to follow the law. The rule is essential to put public safety first, stop reckless state practices, and prevent more avoidable deaths on America’s roads.

AMERICA FIRST LEGAL IN THE NEWS: 

“Miller is represented by America First Legal, the group co-founded by President Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller. In February, AFL and Florida’s State Board of Administration filed a suit against Target Corp. alleging the retailer misled investors and customers about the risks associated with its diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

The AFL alleges on behalf of Miller that the decision to not place him on the Bausch + Lomb board violates 42 USC §1981, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race-based discrimination in contracts, according to the complaint. Corporate boards have grown more diverse in the past decade as companies put a focus on diversity and inclusion.”

Fox News: EXCLUSIVE: America First Legal blasts major publisher over alleged DEI hiring practices

“America First Legal (AFL) says it has filed a request with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) seeking a federal investigation into Penguin Random House over what the group alleges are unlawful, race- and sex-based employment practices reflected in the publisher’s publicly posted diversity, equity, and inclusion framework.

In a Dec. 16, 2025 letter addressed to EEOC Chair Andrea R. Lucas, America First Legal Foundation asked the agency to issue a ‘Commissioner Charge’ and investigate Penguin Random House, LLC (PRH) under EEOC regulations.

AFL alleges PRH’s recruitment, hiring, promotion, retention and workforce-development practices ‘appear to discriminate against prospective and current employees’ on the basis of 'race, color, sex, and national origin,’ and argues those practices are unlawful under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

Bloomberg Law: Conservative Legal Group Asks EEOC to Probe Publisher Over DEI

“A legal group that frequently challenges diversity, equity, and inclusion programs has written the EEOC a letter requesting it investigate Penguin Random House’s employment practices.

America First Legal’s Tuesday letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission argues the publisher’s promotion of diversity ‘pillars’ and publication of certain workforce demographics by race are examples of how its policies are violating Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

AFL has made numerous requests in recent years that the EEOC probe large companies like IBM Corp and Morgan Stanley over DEI the group deems discriminatory.

The New York Times: Trump Widens Travel Ban, Restricting 20 More Places

“Mr. Trump and his top advisers have argued that the travel restrictions are necessary to protect national security, and the president’s allies applauded the expansion on Tuesday.

‘This is common sense: if you don’t know who someone is, or if there are risks associated with their presence in the United States, you shouldn’t let them in,’ Gene Hamilton, the president of America First Legal, a Trump-aligned group, wrote on X.”

The Washington Examiner: E. Jean Carroll’s DNA refusal tainted verdict against Trump, allies tell Supreme Court

“In an amicus brief filed with the high court on Thursday, America First Legal, a conservative legal group founded by senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller, urged the justices to review the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit’s decisions upholding two New York jury verdicts that forced Trump to pay more than $88 million in fees to the former Elle magazine columnist. The Trump-aligned group told the justices that the lower courts allowed unreliable accusations to reach jurors while blocking rebuttal evidence, including details surrounding Carroll’s claims about DNA, in ways that denied Trump a fair trial.”

USA Today: White men urged to file discrimination claims in anti-DEI escalation

“America First Legal, cofounded by senior White House adviser Stephen Miller, peppered top companies with dozens of reverse discrimination complaints and posted on social media seeking more White people to file legal claims.”

America First Legal Foundation is an IRS-approved section 501(c)(3) public charity. Your donation to America First Legal Foundation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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