A Michigan State Police inspector is suing the agency’s director after he alleges Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies cost him a promotion.

Inspector Patrick Morris, a white 29-year veteran of the MSP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, was serving as acting division commander when he alleges Col. James Grady, who is black, installed a Black candidate with a lower rank and no commercial enforcement experience as his permanent replacement in November, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Grady was appointed to lead the MSP by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2023 and has since faced multiple ethics complaints, including a union complaint filed this month that alleges Grady awarded himself and his chief deputy undeserved bonuses last year.

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In the lawsuit, Morris contends Grady “believes the Michigan State Police Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program is a license to violate state and federal law and a vehicle for reparations.”

Morris, who alleges he was not promoted to commander because he does not share Grady’s “radical view” on DEI, wants a federal judge to rule the MSP decision unconstitutional, promote him to captain, and award unspecified monetary damages of more than $75,000, according to the Free Press.

The lawsuit comes as President Donald Trump works to eradicate DEI policies from the federal government, an effort the 47^th POTUS argues “enforces long-standing federal statutes and faithfully advances the Constitution’s promise of colorblind equity before the law,” according to a White House statement.

MSP spokeswoman Shanon Banner declined to discuss Morris’ lawsuit when contacted by the Free Press, but insisted “the MSP makes promotions based on merit, performance and organizational need.”

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The news site, however, notes “allegations of promotion practices adversely and unfairly affecting white male officers have been part of the turmoil at the MSP in recent years and predate Grady’s appointment as the agency’s third Black commander.”

Morris alleges that while he has a spotless disciplinary record, while the Black candidate who was promoted over him faced an internal affairs investigation that detailed “homophobic rants while leading a meeting for members at his post.”

Earlier this month, the MSP Troopers Association and MSP Command Officers Association filed a complaint with the State Ethics Board that alleges Grady violated MSP policy and ethical standards to boost his pay by $10,145, and his chief deputy’s by $9,156.

“The steps taken by Col. Grady and Lt. Col. (Aimee) Brimacombe undoubtedly were taken for their own personal economic gains. Apart from the Department’s own Code of Conduct provisions to which other MSP personnel are responsible, their actions raise ethical concerns under the State Ethics Act,” Nate Johnson, president of the troopers association, and Paul Pummill, executive director of the command officers association, wrote in a letter to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel obtained by Michigan Advance.

The Jan. 6 Board of Ethics complaint cites emails from the MSP’s former director of human resources, Stephanie Horton, to Grady in April 2024 explaining why she refused to sign off on the bonuses.

“The policy indicates that you are not eligible for performance pay if you have not been in your current position for at least one year during the first full pay period in February,” she wrote to Grady, who was appointed by Whitmer on Sept. 29, 2023. “My advice is to hold yourselves to the same standard that you hold other members of the department to … I cannot recall an instance where we have deviated from this performance pay policy for probationary members.”

Horton, who served 23 years with the MSP, resigned later that month and now works as an interim director of employee and labor relations for Michigan State University, according to the Advance.

Whitmer’s office told Johnson and Pummill that because Grady and Brimacombe are “unclassified” employees, they’re “not governed by MSP’s internal policy related to performance pay,” according to the complaint.

“In essence, the response suggests that appointed personnel are not subject to the same rules and restrictions of all other MSP personnel, including MSP’s internal policies and related past practices,” the complaint read. “To suggest that deviating from an established past practice for personal economic gain is permissible and condoned raises grave concerns as to the accountability of MSP leadership.”

Whitmer’s office did not respond to requests for comment from the media. Banner told the Detroit Free Press Grady and Brimacombe were eligible for the performance bonuses.

“Integrity is a core characteristic of the Michigan State Police,” she wrote in a statement to Michigan Advance. “We are confident all actions by department leadership were in line with the State of Michigan’s ethics standards.”