For more than 50 years, the disparate-impact test has been a cornerstone of civil rights enforcement in the United States. It’s not just legal jargon — it’s a lifeline.

This test lets us uncover when a policy that appears neutral on its face is actually causing disproportionate harm to people based on race, gender, disability, or other protected traits. It helps reveal inequality where it hides — in school discipline policies, hiring practices, housing codes, and more.

That’s why civil rights lawyers and federal agencies have relied on it for decades — and why now, we need to act.

A new executive order from the Trump administration guts this vital tool. It instructs federal agencies to stop using the disparate-impact standard and even threatens to unravel existing civil rights settlements based on it. This is not just a policy change — it’s an all-out attack on our ability to fight systemic discrimination in any form that isn’t overt and intentional. And it’s a step backward in the ongoing fight for justice and equal opportunity.

Without the disparate-impact test, victims of hidden but deeply harmful discrimination lose one of the few ways they can hold institutions accountable. This means women could be excluded from certain jobs, students of color punished more harshly, and entire communities denied housing — with no legal recourse, as long as the policy isn’t explicitly racist or sexist.

We can’t let that happen.

We demand that Congress and the Department of Justice immediately take steps to reinstate the use of disparate-impact analysis across all federal civil rights enforcement. We call on civil rights leaders, lawmakers, and the public to reject this executive order and stand up for the legal protections that have moved our country closer to equity.

Discrimination doesn’t have to be intentional to be real — and justice shouldn’t be optional.

Sign now to demand the restoration of the disparate-impact test and protect our civil rights.