Affirmative Action Activist Takes Legal Action Against Prominent Law Firms

The American Alliance for Equal Rights, founded by conservative activist Edward Blum, has filed lawsuits against major U.S. law firms Perkins Coie and Morrison & Foerster, accusing them of unlawful bias against white candidates in their fellowship programs for racial minorities and LGBT individuals. The lawsuits claim that the firms' eligibility criteria, which prioritize historically underrepresented groups, violate the Civil Rights Act of 1866. These lawsuits come after the U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected affirmative action policies in college admissions, leading to an increase in legal challenges to corporate diversity programs.