DOJ Launches Probe Into Calif. State Regulator Championed By Newsom
The Department of Justice has launched a formal investigation into the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) over hiring practices that appear to prioritize race and gender over merit.
In a letter issued Wednesday, the Trump administration warned that CalEPA “may be engaged in employment practices that discriminate … based on race, color, sex, and national origin.” The inquiry zeroes in on the agency’s “Practices to Advance Racial Equity in Workforce Planning,” which openly calls for “applying a racial equity lens to every phase of workforce development.”
The policy even suggests that interview panels be stacked with race, ethnicity, and gender considerations “as much as possible.”
While The Hill pointed out that a probe does not prove wrongdoing, the DOJ’s actions signal that officials see serious constitutional concerns.
This latest confrontation underscores the deep political rift between President Donald J. Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom—widely viewed as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate—has built his national profile by bashing Trump and pushing left-wing policies in direct opposition to the administration. Trump has fired back, pointing to California’s spiraling crime, homelessness, crushing taxes, and suffocating regulations that have driven families and businesses to flee the state in record numbers.
The Trump administration has repeatedly clashed with California’s leadership, most recently by moving to revoke the state’s authority to dictate electric vehicle mandates. At the same time, the administration has taken a strong stance against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) mandates, which critics argue undermine equal treatment under the law.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon reinforced that principle, stating: “Race-based employment practices and policies in America’s local and state agencies violate equal treatment under the law.” She warned: “Agencies that unlawfully use protected characteristics as a factor in employment and hiring risk serious legal consequences.”
The DOJ’s probe comes as California faces another legal blow. Just last week, a federal judge struck down two sweeping California laws that attempted to police online political speech involving artificial intelligence.
Senior U.S. District Judge John Mendez, appointed by President George W. Bush, ruled that the state’s efforts to censor AI-generated political content amounted to unconstitutional restrictions on free speech.
In striking down Assembly Bill 2839, which targeted AI-generated “disinformation and deepfakes” during election season, Mendez was clear: “To be sure, deepfakes and artificially manipulated media arguably pose significant risks to electoral integrity, but the challenges launched by digital content on a global scale cannot be quashed through censorship or legislative fiat. Just as the government may not dictate the canon of comedy, California cannot preemptively sterilize political content.”
Mendez also blocked Assembly Bill 2655, which tried to force online platforms to remove such material. He had already ruled the measure violated Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields companies from liability for user content. The case was brought forward by platforms X and Rumble.
Both bills, signed by Newsom in September 2024, were touted as safeguards against disinformation. “It’s critical that we ensure AI is not deployed to undermine the public’s trust through disinformation — especially in today’s fraught political climate,” Newsom argued at the time.
Yet the court’s ruling leaves California powerless to enforce what critics saw as a dangerous attempt to muzzle political dissent online ahead of the 2026 elections.
In a fact sheet, state lawmakers admitted their concern that “conspiracy theorists, foreign states, online trolls, and even candidates themselves” would use AI tools to shape campaigns. But the judge’s ruling makes clear: free speech—no matter how messy—remains protected under the Constitution.