Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed an executive order Tuesday which prohibits the use of state money for “activities that solely or primarily support diversity, equity and inclusion.”
The order takes effect immediately and gives any group receiving state money 90 days to comply. The order references a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court’s six conservative justices ruled that colleges and universities violated the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment by considering race in admissions.
The University of Missouri had preemptively begun removing DEI from its Columbia campus, including dissolving its Division for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity last July and transferring the office’s employees to other positions. Missouri State University took a similar step last month.
In an interview with St. Louis Public Radio in January, Kehoe said he wanted to create what he called an “even playing field” for everyone. “If they work hard, we want to have the flexibility to be able to reward them. And that's what I want," Kehoe said. "That's the environment I'd like to see created in state government.” A statement issued by Kehoe’s administration Tuesday says there will be continued enforcement of the state’s laws that prohibit discrimination.
Kehoe’s order is likely to be challenged in court.
This story will be updated.
