A lawsuit filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Michigan against Southfield-based law firm Buckfire and Buckfire is more than a legal dustup. It should prompt Michigan’s academic, business, legal and philanthropic communities to consider whether their diversity initiatives can survive under new legal definitions of equality.

What was once considered diversity could now be considered discrimination.

The American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) and Do No Harm, a national association of medical professionals, have sued Buckfire over its “Medical Diversity” and “Law School Diversity” scholarships, arguing that the eligibility criteria for both — which explicitly favor certain racial and ethnic groups — amount to discrimination.

They allege Buckfire awarded

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