Multiple white male police officers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are suing the Philadelphia Police Department over alleged discriminatory hiring and promotion practices.
The lawsuit — filed by America First Legal on behalf of five white police officers — contended that the law enforcement professionals were “passed over for promotions and denied advancement because of their race and sex,” according to a Feb. 26 release from the group.
Philadelphia allegedly tried to conform the racial demographics of the police force to the population of the overall city, causing them to pass over white officers for promotions.
The plaintiffs all have “high civil exam scores, strong service records, positive annual performance reviews, and significant law-enforcement experience,” America First Legal said.
JUST IN: The City of Philadelphia is being SUED for allegedly denying promotions to five police officers because they are White.
The city reportedly implemented a DEI promotion policy to increase “representation” at the expense of promoting White men.
Sue them into the ground! pic.twitter.com/clrwYlTZkT
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 26, 2026
They could have been promoted to the captain or lieutenant level, but were instead bypassed “in favor of non-white male candidates with lower civil-service exam scores and lower rankings on the promotion-eligibility lists,” the list added.
Philadelphia has a “Rule of Five” diversity policy, in which lower-performing female and minority candidates for promotions can more easily advance.
/2 AFL is suing @PhiladelphiaGov, @PhillyPolice, and senior law enforcement officials who embedded DEI in hiring and promotions, to ensure the racial and gender makeup of the city’s police force mirrored the city’s population.
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 26, 2026
Before the death of George Floyd, the city had a “Rule of Two” policy, under which the city had to “select from the top two candidates based on merit.”
But the new “Rule of Five” loosened those standards.
America First Legal senior counsel Nick Barry noted that “federal civil-rights law prohibits employers from making promotion decisions based on race or sex.”
“Put simply, employers cannot use protected characteristics to override merit. Promotions must be based on excellence, experience, and performance, not on the race or sex of the candidate,” he continued.
America First Legal said that the lawsuit is part of a broader effort toward “rooting out and destroying DEI in the United States.”
The group has voted to sue “any public or private employer that uses illegal race or sex preferences in hiring or promotions.”
“Hiring and other employment practices must be based on merit and excellence,” the release added. “AFL will fight on behalf of American workers to ensure that individuals are hired and promoted based on their skills and not their race or sex.”
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
