Trump-aligned legal group fights to restore merit-based federal hiring

FIRST ON FOX A legal group closely aligned with President Donald Trump is joining a federal court battle in Washington D C to overturn a Carter-era consent decree that bars the authorities from using merit-based hiring a resolution that if overturned would dissolve one of the majority of influential civil utility decisions of the last years The America First Legal Foundation AFL a group aligned with Trump has filed a federal complaint in Washington D C that aims to dismantle what it calls a dated and illegal effort to promote diversity in federal hiring that sidelines more qualified candidates America is missing out on top talent because of an illegal -year-old consent decree Nick Barry senior counsel at AFL recounted Fox News Digital We must move back to merit-based evaluations Race and other immutable traits have no place in that process JUDGE ON WARPATH PRESSES TRUMP DOJ ON ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION ANSWERS LEAVE COURTROOM IN STUNNED SILENCEThe lawsuit targets the Luevano consent decree an agreement that Black and Hispanic plaintiffs struck with the ruling body under President Jimmy Carter in The settlement ended merit-based hiring practices for federal executive agencies and required written tests to be replaced with alternative assessments Critics of these alternative assessments including AFL and the firm Boyden Gray PLLC which joined the complaint argue they are clunky and outdated solutions that illegally promote an unfair system of race-based hiring We must move back to merit-based evaluations Barry added Race color and other immutable characteristics have no place in that evaluation The Office of Personnel Management had previously questioned the court to end the Carter-era system an effort that AFL and Boyden Gray now join arguing it violates Supreme Court precedent Being able to recruit the best and brightest to work in Washington returns dividends for the country by doing more with less AFL Vice President Dan Epstein stated Fox News Digital That is what all Americans deserve from their governing body AFL's backing could bring new momentum to OPM's attempt to end these hiring practices in the federal administration But it's also likely to be met with a fair degree of criticism Though efforts to end or replace the -year-old alternative assessment systems aren't exactly radical the filing comes as the Trump administration continues to clash with cabinet employees over agency budget cuts and workforce reductions The episode if heard in court could reignite debate across the country over race-conscious hiring practices DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS TRIALS AND 'TEFLON DON' TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURTAmerica First Legal though not officially part of the Trump administration was founded by longtime Trump advisor Stephen Miller one of Trump's largest part vocal advocates for tougher immigration enforcement dismantling DEI programs and ending affirmative action in community development Miller stepped down from AFL before rejoining the White House in The effort also comes at a time when a great number of federal agencies have struggled to cope with a massive loss of personnel and institutional knowledge due to funding cuts and other orders from DOGE the quasi-government efficiency agency headed up by billionaire Elon Musk Still AFL sees its effort as supporting OPM and ending what it argues is a virtually impossible standard to create a broadly used merit-based civil arrangement exam Inhabitants operation is a general trust Epstein announced Presidential administrations from both parties have long advocated ending unaccountable bureaucracies that fail to do a good turn for the American people Neither OPM nor the White House at once responded to Fox News's request for comment on the new court filing or on their views on the existing hiring practices