Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against required DEI statement for UC Santa Cruz job applicants

A federal judge in California dismissed a lawsuit filed against the University of California, Santa Cruz, over its required DEI statement for applicants to faculty job listings.

United States District Court for the Northern District of California Judge Edward Davila on Jan, 12 dismissed the lawsuit because the plaintiff, John D. Haltigan, didn’t apply for the job listing at the center of the lawsuit, giving him no standing to sue, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Haltigan argued in his lawsuit that if he applied for the position, he would be “compelled to alter his behavior and either remain silent . . . or recant his views to conform to the dictates of the University administration.” 

According to the lawsuit, the UC Santa Cruz psychology department requires a DEI statement from applicants. The job listing in question, according to the lawsuit, stated that an “initial screening of candidates will be performed using only the DEI statement and a research statement.” 

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Davila wrote in his opinion that Haltigan has until Feb. 2 to file an amended lawsuit.