Upon returning to office, President Donald Trump immediately implemented orders and policies against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in government and beyond while also slashing federal agencies and laying off employees. Now, a new lawsuit alleges that these policies have combined to target Black federal employees, as the Trump administration is accused of racial discrimination.

Lawsuit alleges racial bias in firing of National Transportation Safety Board official

Alvin Brown, a Democrat nominated by President Joe Biden who served as a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, filed a complaint alleging that his dismissal in May 2025 was done because of racial bias. Brown argues in his complaint that his firing cannot be explained by partisan reasoning. ‘Mr. Brown’s removal from the NTSB cannot be explained by the fact that Mr. Brown is a Democrat and President Trump might have wanted to exert Republican control over the Board,” Brown’s lawyer wrote in the lawsuit. “At the time of Mr. Brown’s removal from the NTSB, there were two other Democrats serving on the Board.” Rather, Brown is arguing that his removal is part of a systematic targeting of Black federal employees, and thus a violation of his Fifth Amendment rights.

Alleged pattern of firing or replacing Black people

According to Brown’s attorneys, 75% of Black officials of independent agencies have been fired under Trump.  “President Trump has removed Black Senate-confirmed appointees; he has either nominated a non-Black individual for their replacement or has not formally replaced them at all,” Brown’s attorneys further allege. “This trend fits with President Trump’s consistent messaging criticizing diversity and inclusion and his clear and demonstrable emphasis on hiring white people.” A second Black former official, Robert Primus, has filed a similar lawsuit relating to his firing in August from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, a position to which he had been nominated by Trump and then elevated to board chairman under Biden. In addition to race, Primus pointed toward his opposition to a massive railroad merger deal as motivation behind his firing.

Slashing federal jobs, dismantling agencies, and opposing diversity initiatives

Since returning to the White House, Trump has initiated a series of executive orders and policies against DEI programs and initiatives, which have been interpreted broadly to censor or remove information relating to Black people and other minority communities. Trump also dismantled federal agencies and conducted mass firings of federal employees, with DOGE initially taking a leading role in this process. Trump has additionally attempted to fire or even prosecute officials who previously opposed him or have current policy disagreements with him, such as Jerome Powell and Lisa Cook of the Federal Reserve Board.

The lawsuits filed by Brown and Primus challenge these policies. The suits push back against Trump’s efforts to fire federal employees and gut diversity initiatives, arguing that the impact of these policies has been active, disproportionate targeting of Black employees. In making these challenges, lawyers in the two cases have cited stunning statistics and patterns of Black employees being eliminated from federal positions or replaced, painting a picture of an administration actively hostile toward Black people in the federal government.