BOISE, ID – Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined 14 other state attorneys general in signing a letter addressed to the Business Roundtable, urging the group to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The letter claims that such practices are inconsistent with federal and state laws and calls on companies to return to merit-based employment models.

The Business Roundtable, comprised of CEOs from leading U.S. companies, has adopted DEI strategies in recent years. The letter criticizes these measures, arguing they conflict with the organization’s mission of promoting economic growth and shareholder value. According to the attorneys general, the implementation of racial quotas and ideological training detracts from the free-market principles that companies were founded on.

“Corporations have an obligation to focus on creating value for their shareholders,” Labrador stated. “When that duty is replaced with race-based hiring and DEI mandates, it raises serious legal concerns under state and federal law.”

The letter asserts that prioritizing characteristics such as race or gender over individual merit may violate employment laws. It urges CEOs to end the use of quotas, targets, and other DEI practices, warning of potential legal consequences for continuing such programs.

Attorneys general from the following states co-signed the Missouri-led letter: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, and South Dakota.

The letter concludes by calling on corporations to rededicate themselves to traditional business principles and to abandon DEI programs the signatories describe as discriminatory.