Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, left, and Attorney General Pam Bondi. (Anna Moneymaker; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Department of Human Services said the purpose of its new "hiring justification" policy is to make sure the state "meets affirmative action responsibilities to comply with state statutes and must increase the diversity of its workforce to reflect and effectively serve its client base."
"The policy defines ‘underrepresented candidates’ to include ‘females,’ and racial ‘minorities’ who are ‘Black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander,’ ‘American Indian or Alaskan native,’" Dhillon wrote in a letter on Thursday to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Department of Human Services’ temporary commissioner Shireen Gandhi.
"Title VII prohibits an employer from discriminating against an individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. When the Attorney General has reasonable cause to believe that a state or local government employer is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination in violation of Title VII, it is the Attorney General's responsibility to take appropriate action to eliminate that violation, including presenting the matter to the appropriate court for civil proceedings," Dhillon added.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RESPONDS TO MINNESOTA’S LAWSUIT TO LET TRANS ATHLETES IN GIRLS’ SPORTS
Minnesota has been involved in a number of recent clashes with the Trump administration. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Ellison also announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration and Department of Justice in April to ensure that states can continue letting biologically male trans athletes play in girls' sports.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doj-investigating-minnesota-hiring-practices-latest-clash-walz