Texas has declared that there will be no racial bias allowed in hiring by state agencies. On the surface, this sounds reasonable. But this being Texas, duplicity lurks. The Texas Tribune reported the facts of the case.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s office is warning state agency and public university leaders this week that the use of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — policies that support groups who have been historically underrepresented or discriminated against — is illegal in hiring.

In a memo written Monday and obtained by The Texas Tribune, Abbott’s chief of staff Gardner Pate told agency leaders that using DEI policies violates federal and state employment laws, and hiring cannot be based on factors “other than merit.”

“Merit” is the critical word. Readers should ask themselves if Abbott’s concern is to maximize the quality of government workers. Or is he cynically entrenching whites in the state’s bureaucracy?

The Tribune adds:

Pate said DEI initiatives illegally discriminate against certain demographic groups — though he did not specify which […]