As legal challenges mount, some companies retool diversity and inclusion programs

By ALEXANDRA OLSON, HALELUYA HADERO and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
AP Business Writers

NEW YORK (AP) — Conservative advocates have been feeling emboldened by the Supreme Court’s June ruling ending affirmative action in college admissions and are now seeking to set a similar precedent in the workplace. Lawsuits and threat letters have targeted dozens of prominent companies and a wide array of diversity policies, including fellowships, hiring goals, anti-bias training and contract programs for minority-owned businesses. The battle has been a roller coaster of setbacks and victories for both sides, but some companies are already retooling their diversity programs in the face of lawsuits, and the growing expectation that the conservative-dominated Supreme Court will eventually take up the issue.