Washington judge dismisses challenge to Starbucks diversity policies upholding business judgment rule

Here’s the intro from this Gibson Dunn memo:

On September 11, 2023, the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington issued a strongly worded order confirming his August 11, 2023 dismissal of a stockholder derivative suit, National Center for Public Policy Research v. Schultz et al., No. 2:22-cv-00267. The suit, brought by a conservative think tank as a derivative claim purportedly on behalf of Starbucks Corporation against certain of its officers and directors, sought declaratory judgment and injunctive relief on the grounds that some of Starbucks’ diversity initiatives allegedly violated Section 1981 of the 1866 Civil Rights Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and state anti-discrimination laws, and further alleged that the policies constituted a breach of directors’ fiduciary duties.