Press Release from Idaho Attorney General’s Office
Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a letter with 14 other attorneys general urging the Business Roundtable, an association of the nation’s leading companies, to abandon their unlawful and misguided DEI initiative. Many of the Roundtable’s members have replaced free-market principles with costly and divisive DEI policies against the guidance of the Supreme Court.
The attorneys general argue that the Business Roundtable should prioritize its stated mission of fostering economic growth, job creation, and shareholder returns—not implementing racial quotas and mandatory ideological training. The letter criticizes the group’s shift away from merit-based hiring and warns that such practices are “not only unworkable but also often illegal.”
“Corporations have an obligation to focus on creating value for their shareholders,” said Attorney General Labrador. “When that duty is replaced with race-based hiring and DEI mandates, it raises serious legal concerns under state and federal law. These companies should return to merit-based practices and sound business judgment. The American people want a return to fairness—where individuals are judged by their abilities, not their immutable characteristics.”
The letter highlights that members of the Business Roundtable are beginning to recognize that the tide is turning and that these policies are a mistake. A corporation’s true purpose should be to prioritize shareholders and hire based on merit rather than protected characteristics.
The letter concludes by saying, “It’s time for the Business Roundtable to abandon its redefinition and rededicate itself to merit-based hiring, which supports the actual purpose of a corporation and complies with employment laws. The Business Roundtable’s member CEOs should immediately abandon quotas, targets, racial preferences, and other discriminatory DEI practices. Or face the potential of legal action by state attorneys general.”
Attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, and South Dakota signed the Missouri–led letter.
