The Justice Department has launched an investigation into Minnesota "to determine whether it has engaged in race- and sex-based discrimination in its state employment hiring practices."
The inquiry is the Trump administration's latest clash with Gov. Tim Walz's state following his failed 2024 vice presidential bid. It comes as the Minnesota Department of Human Services is rolling out a new policy demanding supervisors "provide a hiring justification when seeking to hire a non-underrepresented candidate when hiring for a vacancy in a job category with underrepresentation" -- or else they face possible disciplinary action, including termination.
"Minnesotans deserve to have their state government employees hired based on merit, not based on illegal DEI," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
"Federal law has long prohibited employment policies that discriminate based on race or sex," added Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The Justice Department refuses to tolerate such conduct, and states invite investigation when they engage in biased hiring practices tied to protected characteristics."
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The Minnesota Department of Human Services said the purpose of its new "hiring justification" policy is to make sure the state "meets affirmative action responsibilities to comply with state statutes and must increase the diversity of its workforce to reflect and effectively serve its client base."
"The policy defines 'underrepresented candidates' to include 'females,' and racial 'minorities' who are 'Black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander,' 'American Indian or Alaskan native,'" Dhillon wrote in a letter on Thursday to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Department of Human Services' temporary commissioner Shireen Gandhi.
"Title VII prohibits an employer from discriminating against an individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. When the Attorney General has reasonable cause to believe that a state or local government employer is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination in violation of Title VII, it is the Attorney General's responsibility to take appropriate action to eliminate that violation, including presenting the matter to the appropriate court for civil proceedings," Dhillon added.
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"Specifically, we have reason to believe the Minnesota Department of Human Services is engaging in unlawful action through, among other things, the adoption and forthcoming implementation of its 'hiring justification' policy," he also said.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services told Fox News Digital that it "follows all state and federal hiring laws."
"Justification of non-affirmative action hires for some vacancies has been required by state law since 1987," it added.
The probe comes after the Justice Department in late June filed a complaint challenging laws in Minnesota that provide free and reduced in-state tuition to illegal aliens, claiming the laws are unconstitutional.
Ellison also announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration and Department of Justice in April to ensure that states can continue letting biologically male trans athletes play in girls' sports.
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
