Retreat from Disparate‑Impact Enforcement

The Justice Department dropped four pending disparate‑impact suits against police and fire agencies and then directed prosecutors, via an attorney‑general memo and a presidential executive order, to avoid bringing similar cases. This marks a deliberate pivot away from using statistical disparities to police hiring tests in public‑safety departments. — If disparate‑impact theory recedes in federal civil‑rights enforcement, hiring standards, DEI compliance, and consent‑decree leverage across public agencies will reset nationwide.