Federal Judge Orders Minority Business Agency to Provide Assistance to All Races

A federal judge in Texas ruled that the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) must provide assistance to all individuals, regardless of race, after White business owners claimed its policies were unconstitutional. The judge found that the agency's reliance on a statutory presumption of social or economic disadvantage based on race violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. The ruling permanently bars the agency from considering race in determining assistance eligibility, impacting its services for minority-owned businesses. This decision follows a trend of conservative challenges to federal programs in Texas federal courts.