Republican Attorneys General from 13 states sent a letter to Fortune 100 CEOs voicing concerns about hiring practices that may favor one race over another. The letter comes in response to the recent US Supreme Court decision against affirmative action, or colleges’ use of race as a factor in student admissions.

“Hiring practices that favor one racial group over another are immoral and illegal,” Attorney General Daniel Cameron of Kentucky said in a press release. “I joined this coalition to ensure that systemic racial discrimination — like in corporate hiring — is a thing of the past.”

The letter said racial discrimination in employment and contracting is common among Fortune 100 companies and other large businesses.

“In an inversion of the odious discriminatory practices of the distant past, today’s major companies adopt explicitly race-based initiatives which are similarly illegal,” the letter read.

“These discriminatory practices include, among other things, explicit racial quotas and preferences in hiring, recruiting, retention, promotion and advancement,” according to the letter. “They also include race-based contracting practices, such as racial preferences and quotas in selecting suppliers, providing overt preferential treatment to customers on the basis of race, and pressuring contractors to adopt the company’s racially discriminatory quotas and preferences.”

The letter stated Fortune 100 companies should immediately cease any unlawful race-based quotas or preferences for employment and contracting practices. It added that companies will be held accountable for their decisions.

“As the Supreme Court recently emphasized, both our Constitution and our civil rights laws guarantee every American the right to be free from racial discrimination,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a press release. “The court’s reasoning means that companies, no matter their motivation, cannot treat people differently based on the color of their skin. Corporate America continues to have many avenues to help disadvantaged people and communities of all races without resorting to crude racial line-drawing.”

The letter drew a response.

“This development is deeply concerning as it could have significant implications for diversity and inclusion programs, hiring practices and contracting within these companies,” Ken Harris, president/CEO of The National Business League, wrote in a LinkedIn post. “We continue to witness racially biased decisions that undermine progress towards equality. It is time to take a stand against these detrimental actions.”

The National Business League is a trade association for Black professionals.

Separately, Tennessee Democratic Sen. London Lamar of Memphis also raised concerns about the letter, the Tennessee Lookout reported.

“There is an appalling lack of representation in corporate America,” Lamar told the Lookout. “For instance, there are only eight Black CEOs leading Fortune 500 companies — and that’s a record-high number. If Tennessee’s Republican attorney general succeeds in bullying companies into ending their programs to hire and work with Black Americans, the consequences will be devastating.”

State Attorneys General signing the letter included those from Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.