Montana Attorney General Leads Multi-State Opposition to DEI Training Practices

HELENA, MT — Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is spearheading a coalition of 17 states urging a federal appeals court to reinstate a civil rights lawsuit brought by a former Colorado correctional officer who claims mandatory diversity training created a racially hostile work environment.

In an amicus brief filed Tuesday in the case of Young v. Colorado Department of Corrections, Knudsen and attorneys general from states including Texas, Florida, and South Dakota argue that DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs—especially those that stereotype or scapegoat individuals based on race—violate federal civil rights protections and undermine workplace cohesion.

Joshua Young, a former officer with the Colorado DOC, alleges he was subjected to training that portrayed all white individuals as inherently racist, privileged, and oppressive. The complaint describes instructions claiming that “all Caucasians are racists” and that white denial of racism is a form of “fragility.” The training allegedly promoted treating coworkers differently based on race, contributing to an environment Young called unsafe and discriminatory.

Knudsen’s brief asserts that such messaging “pervades the entire work environment” and “encourages hostility” toward white employees, violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The brief also challenges the lower court’s dismissal of Young’s claims, arguing that even a single official training session can establish a hostile workplace when it carries the weight of employer endorsement.

“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race,” the brief states, quoting Supreme Court precedent.

The coalition warns that many DEI programs, often inspired by concepts like unconscious bias or “antiracist” pedagogy, end up stigmatizing majority populations while failing to improve workplace diversity. The states cite studies showing that such training can backfire—heightening tensions and reinforcing racial divisions.

Attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and the Arizona Legislature joined Montana in filing the brief.

Young is asking the court to declare his rights were violated, prohibit further use of the training materials, and order his reinstatement.

The appeal is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.