DOJ Ends Key Civil-Rights Tool as Bondi Says Disparate-Impact Rules Forced Race-Based Decisions

The U.S. Department of Justice, under Attorney General Pamela Bondi, has formally scrapped the decades-old “disparate impact” standard from its civil-rights enforcement rules. On December 9, 2025, DOJ published a final rule amending Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to eliminate the ability to bring lawsuits based on statistical disparities alone — requi…