Attorney General Pam Bondi has officially dismantled a string of controversial lawsuits initiated under the Biden administration that targeted local police and fire departments for using merit-based hiring practices.

The Department of Justice under President Joe Biden had sued numerous cities for prioritizing objective standards—including written exams, physical fitness tests, and background checks—over race-based preferences in public safety hiring. Bondi ended those lawsuits this week, citing them as part of the former administration’s attempt to impose illegal DEI mandates through backdoor legal pressure.

“Despite no evidence of intentional discrimination—only statistical disparities—the prior administration branded the aptitude tests at issue in these cases as discriminatory to advance a DEI agenda,” the DOJ said in a press release.

The statement continued:

“And it sought to coerce cities into conducting DEI-based hiring in response and spending millions of dollars in taxpayer funds for payouts to previous applicants who had scored lower on the tests, regardless of qualifications.”

Bondi’s decision aligns with President Donald J. Trump’s executive orders to eliminate all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies from the federal government. The move is part of a sweeping rollback of what the administration calls “racially discriminatory hiring quotas” that compromise safety and quality.

“American communities deserve firefighters and police officers to be chosen for their skill and dedication to public safety – not to meet DEI quotas,” Bondi stated firmly.

One of the most egregious cases was filed against Durham, North Carolina, in which the Biden DOJ claimed “unintentional” racial bias because Black applicants failed to meet the 70% passing threshold on a neutral written test at a higher rate than White candidates. The lawsuit demanded the city eliminate the test entirely and award nearly $1 million in back pay and preferential hiring to unqualified applicants.

A similar lawsuit was filed against the Maryland State Police, seeking to dismantle hiring standards that included push-ups, a 1.5-mile run, and a minimum written test score. Biden’s DOJ demanded the agency eliminate physical and cognitive standards altogether and pay out $2.75 million to Black and female applicants who failed to meet them.

Bondi rejected these settlements outright.

Her office called the lawsuits “an early step toward eradicating illegal DEI preferences across the government and in the private sector.”

Additional lawsuits were also filed under Biden’s DOJ against South Bend, Indiana, and Cobb County, Georgia—targeting similar race-neutral hiring policies.

Bondi has also led a renewed crackdown on domestic terrorism under President Trump’s administration, filing charges this week against Jamison R. Wagner, 40, in connection to a Tesla dealership arson and the firebombing of the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters.

According to court documents, Wagner torched two Tesla Model Y vehicles and spray-painted swastikas and threats like “Die Elon” on their windshields. A second fire in May severely damaged the state GOP’s headquarters and left graffiti nearby reading: “ICE = KKK.”

Bondi revealed Wagner’s arrest during a Cabinet meeting, crediting the FBI and ATF’s joint task force, which was launched to combat what she described as a wave of politically motivated violence targeting conservative institutions and Tesla, whose CEO Elon Musk has worked closely with the Trump administration to shrink the bloated federal bureaucracy through the Department of Government Efficiency.

“There will be no negotiations, at your directive,” Bondi told President Trump in a closed-door White House briefing. “We are treating these attacks for what they are—acts of terror.”

The DOJ also announced four additional federal cases involving Molotov cocktail attacks against Tesla vehicles and fire stations, marking a significant escalation in far-left sabotage against American infrastructure.