US Judge Rejects Challenge to Fearless Fund Grants

Facts

On Tuesday, US District Judge Thomas Thrash rejected a request from Edward Blum’s American Alliance for Equal Rights to place a preliminary injunction on the Fearless Fund distributing grants exclusively to businesses led by Black women.¹
Blum was also the anti-affirmative action activist behind the successful challenge — made through SCOTUS in June — to race-conscious college admissions.¹
Announcing his group’s plans to appeal, Blum said that US civil rights laws don’t “permit racial distinctions because some groups are overrepresented in various endeavors, while others are under-represented.”²
In the lawsuit, Blum’s alliance says the fund’s Fearless Strivers Grant Contest violates the section of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 that prohibits racial discrimination in contracts.²
Thrash’s ruling classifies the grant program as charitable giving, which he said is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution.³
This case is one of three suits filed by Blum’s group since August which have claimed that programs designed to help Black, Hispanic, and other people from underrepresented groups are discriminatory.¹

Right narrative, as provided by Daily caller. This is an unfortunate ruling. Following the SCOTUS decision forbidding colleges from considering race in admissions, it would be consistent to apply such an approach to the business sector too. There should be no tolerance for discrimination based on race in any instance — a cause Blum is passionately pursuing.
Left narrative, as provided by The atlanta voice. This ruling is correct and, quite frankly, this entire case should be thrown out of court. Fearless Fund isn’t discriminating, it is helping support people from a marginalized group to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and pursue the American dream. Programs like this will boost the economy for the good of all Americans.