The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against The New York Times, alleging that the newspaper discriminated against a white male candidate in its hiring process for an editor’s position.

According to the complaint filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in Manhattan federal court, the Times selected a multiracial woman over a qualified white male applicant for the role.

The lawsuit states that Nikita Stewart, who was then The New York Times’ real estate editor and has since been promoted to metro editor, “deviated from normal hiring protocol” by appointing someone without experience editing real-estate coverage as her deputy in January 2025.

The EEOC claims the newspaper violated civil rights laws by discriminating against the unnamed male candidate based on race or sex. The complaint also alleges that the Times tracked race, sex, and sexual persuasion with “Nazi-like” precision over nearly a decade and tied compensation to hiring specific demographics.

The Times has defended its practices, stating: “Our employment practices are merit-based and focused on recruiting and promoting the best talent in the world. We will defend ourselves vigorously.”

The case is expected to proceed to discovery, potentially revealing more internal communications that could impact the lawsuit.