TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Iowa attorney General Brenna Bird today led a coalition of 19 state attorneys general in a letter to Costo urging the retail giant to cease its unlawful DEI policies, according to a media release from Kobach's office.
The state attorneys general are working to stop discriminatory practices."Racial discrimination is both immoral and illegal," Kobach said.
"Race-based employment hiring violates state and federal law, and as the chief enforcement officer of Kansas, I intend to enforce the law vigorously."The letter notes that some companies face lawsuits related to their DEI practices and policies, and the attorneys general warn that its DEI policies expose Costco to potential legal liability.
The letter suggests that Costco deal with more important matters like questions about its alleged connection between company products and child slave labor in China.“The Supreme Court has repeatedly warned against using race-based preferences and classifications… Race neutral practices, on the other hand, honor the founding ideals of this country,” the letter reads.
The letter isn’t the first time state attorneys general have issued warnings to corporate America to stop unlawful policies. Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2023 that struck down affirmative action programs in universities, a coalition of 13 attorneys general sent letters to some of the nation’s largest businesses warning of serious legal consequences if they continued to use race as a preferential qualification for hiring. Many companies listened, including Amazon, Ford, John Deere, McDonald’s, Meta and Walmart. However, Costco doubled down on DEI, according to the letter.
“Costco’s position runs contrary to the Supreme Court’s recent decisions and raises concerns about Costco’s compliance with state and federal laws,” the letter reads.The letter Gives Costco officials 30 days to notify state attorneys general that the company has repealed its DEI policies or explain to why Costco has failed to do so.In addition to Kobach and Bird, attorneys general from Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, and North Dakota signed onto the letter.