A federal agency sues The New York Times for anti

The New York Times is being sued by a federal agency in the United States, alleging that “the newspaper violated the law by excluding a white employee from a promotion,” as reported by The Washington Post.

“No one is above the law, not even elite institutions,” commented Andrea Lucas, President of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), who emphasized that “any discrimination based on gender or race is illegal, according to the principles of civil rights.”

The New York Times is being sued for violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and accused of discriminating against a white employee because of his race. The EEOC explains that “the emphasis placed by the Times on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), which the Trump administration is seeking to eliminate, is at issue,” the Washington daily continues.

Attack on inclusion policies This legal action stems from a “brutal escalation of the investigation launched last year after a complaint was filed by an employee with the EEOC in New York,” notes the New York Times. The plaintiff “had been working at the newspaper since 2014 and had applied for the position of assistant chief editor in charge of real estate in 2025.”

The newspaper’s spokeswoman, Danielle Rhoades Ha, “categorically rejects the politically motivated accusations made by the EEOC.” She adds: “Our employment practices are based on merit and aim to recruit and promote the best talents in the world.”

The complaint cites the Times’ DEI programs, “including a ‘call to action’ launched in 2021 that aimed to increase the number of black and Latino employees,” the left-leaning media outlet continues.

The accusation highlights that the “final list of candidates included a white woman, a black man, an Asian woman, and a mixed-race woman,” and that the man who claims to be a victim of discrimination “was more qualified than the person who ultimately got the job.”

Andrea Lucas, President of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in Washington on January 20, 2026. Photo by ALYSSA SCHUKAR/The New York Times

The EEOC is a federal agency originally tasked with enforcing civil rights in the workplace. However, its Republican president, Andrea Lucas, appointed by Donald Trump, has “redirected it to become the executive arm of the president’s program,” by seeking to challenge all DEI policies of companies, which she deems “discriminatory against white men.”