City of Houston’s contracting policy favoring minority-owned businesses unconstitutionally prioritizes some races over others, a federal judge ruled.
The city must end the racial aspect of the program, Judge David Hittner of the Southern District of Texas ordered in a final injunction. Other aspects favoring small and women owned businesses went unchallenged and the city can enforce them, the President Ronald Reagan-appointee said.
Houston needed to show an interest in fixing instances of past racial discrimination to be able to enforce the minority business goals, Hittner said. But, in the six years since the completion of a 2020 disparity study, …