American Alliance for Equal Rights and Do No Harm v. Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C.

On November 13, 2025, Do No Harm and the American Alliance for Equal Rights (the Alliance) filed a lawsuit against the Michigan law firm, Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C., for operating two racially discriminatory scholarship programs.

In October 2025, the law firm rejected scholarship applications submitted by student members of Do No Harm and the Alliance, opting instead to make awards to individuals identifying as racial minorities. 

The scholarship programs in question are the “Medical Diversity Scholarship” and the “Law School Diversity Scholarship,” both of which award a $2,000 scholarship to one recipient each year. The scholarships require applicants to be “a member of an ethnic, racial, or other minority”; otherwise, applicants must “demonstrate[] a defined commitment to issues of diversity within their community.” The application also involves completing an online form and submitting a “one-page typed essay describing how you have utilized your time promoting ethnic diversity within your community.”

The Buckfire law firm has operated its racially discriminatory program since 2014–despite mandated professional and ethical rules that hold lawyers to a high bar to “assur[e] equal treatment for all.” Over this decade-plus period, Buckfire has awarded scholarships to 25 students. Zero were white.

The lawsuit alleges that Buckfire’s scholarships violate Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which bans racial discrimination in contracting by public and private actors.