Vernellia Randall, Weekly Racial Justice Briefing (March 30, 2026) https://racism.org/articles/133-latest-this-week/12870-weekly-racial-justice-briefing-march-30-2026

 

Current Issues and Developments

This week’s racial justice developments reveal a clear pattern: a narrowing of civil rights enforcement, increased legal battles over voting and education, and continued expansion of racialized enforcement systems. These are active, unfolding changes with immediate consequences.

 

Federal Policy Shifts

 

DOJ Rollback of Disparate Impact Enforcement

The U.S. Department of Justice has moved away from disparate impact enforcement, limiting challenges to policies that disproportionately harm communities of color without proof of intent. That shift narrows one of the most important tools for addressing systemic discrimination in federally funded programs.

Why it matters now: This is a direct rollback of a long-used civil rights enforcement theory aimed at structural inequality, not just overt bias.

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Federal Crackdown on DEI Programs

On March 26, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal contractors and subcontractors to eliminate what the administration calls “racially discriminatory DEI activities.” Reuters reported the order the same day and noted that it empowers agencies to terminate, suspend, or debar non-compliant contractors.

Why it matters now: This reframes equity efforts as unlawful discrimination and puts immediate pressure on hiring, contracting, and institutional diversity practices.

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Voting Rights

DOJ Actions on Voting and Voter Data

The Minnesota secretary of state’s office received a grand jury subpoena ordering it to turn over certain voter records as part of a federal investigation into alleged non-citizen voting. The move has drawn concern because broad voter-record demands can feed fear and mistrust in communities already targeted by suppression narratives.

Why it matters now: These actions land ahead of major elections and can chill participation, especially among voters of color and immigrant communities.

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Escalation of Voting Rights Litigation

The NAACP hired former DOJ Civil Rights Division chief Kristen Clarke as general counsel as it expands litigation over voting restrictions, gerrymandering, and other civil rights threats. That hiring reflects a deliberate buildout of legal capacity at a moment when federal enforcement priorities are shifting.

Why it matters now: The fight over ballot access is intensifying, and civil rights groups are preparing for sustained courtroom battles.

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Threat to Federal Election Monitoring Programs

The federal government is evaluating whether to continue funding the long-running election observer program that helps monitor discrimination at the polls. Reuters and CBS both reported that the review could weaken an enforcement tool created to protect minority voters under the Voting Rights Act.

Why it matters now: Cutting back this program would reduce federal oversight in places where voting discrimination has historically been concentrated.

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Education

 

Federal Pressure on Race-Conscious Education Policies

The administration is pushing colleges to provide more admissions data connected to race and has opened new investigations into medical schools over possible race discrimination in admissions. These actions build on a broader federal effort to police compliance with the post-affirmative-action legal landscape.

Why it matters now: Federal pressure is reshaping higher education policy in real time and narrowing the tools schools can use to address entrenched racial inequality.

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Immigration and Enforcement

 

Immigration Enforcement Surge and Use of Force

Minnesota’s legal fight with the Trump administration over its immigration crackdown has centered on allegations of racial profiling, constitutional violations, and fatal shootings by federal agents during enforcement operations. The Justice Department also opened a civil rights investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti after protests intensified.

Why it matters now: Immigration enforcement is operating as a racial justice issue on the ground, with deadly consequences and ongoing federal-state conflict.

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Racial Profiling Challenges to Immigration Enforcement

The ACLU of Minnesota sued the federal government in January, alleging suspicionless stops, warrantless arrests, and racial profiling by ICE and CBP. Meanwhile, the 8th Circuit upheld the administration’s no-bond-hearing detention policy in a case tied to Minnesota enforcement sweeps, showing how the courts are becoming a key battlefield over these tactics.

Why it matters now: These cases go to the heart of whether aggressive immigration enforcement can proceed through racial profiling and mass detention with limited judicial checks.

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Bottom Line

  • Civil rights protections are being narrowed in practice.
  • Equity initiatives are being reframed as discrimination.
  • Voting access is increasingly contested terrain.
  • Immigration enforcement remains deeply racialized.

These are not isolated events. They reflect a broader restructuring of how racial justice is defined, enforced, and contested in the United States

 

 Vernellia R. Randall, Professor Emerita of Law, University of Dayton School of Law. This article was drafted with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model.