We just sued the Trump Administration to block a dangerous rule issued last month that makes enforcing key aspects of the landmark Fair Housing Act of 1968 all but impossible.
- The Fair Housing Act was passed 52 years ago with the ambitious goal of dramatically reducing structural inequalities and racism in housing.
- Achieving the goal of equal housing opportunity requires more than prohibiting intentionally discriminatory acts.
- It also requires prohibiting seemingly neutral policies and practices that have a negative impact on a group based on race, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability.
- And for half a century, courts have held that the Fair Housing Act bars such policies and practices unless there is no non-discriminatory way to serve a legitimate need.
- But just last month, Donald Trump’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (a.k.a. HUD) issued a rule to undercut that half century of settled legal precedent.
In effect, HUD’s illegal new rule makes it virtually impossible for anyone to prove these all-too-common kinds of housing discrimination.
Even though housing discrimination is still one of the most severe systemic barriers to equality for people of color all across America!
So Public Citizen is suing HUD and HUD Secretary Ben Carson to strike down this damaging rule.
(Carson is the retired doctor who was one of Trump’s rivals in the 2016 Republican primary and who Trump then installed to run HUD even though Carson had no relevant experience whatsoever.)
We are representing the National Fair Housing Alliance, Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California, and BLDS, LLC. And we are co-counseling with Relman Colfax PLLC and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Please donate today to help us keep fighting against Trump’s racist policies and fighting for justice.
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Thank you for anything you can chip in today.
For justice,
- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
P.S. Don’t think this will all sort itself out after Election Day. This HUD rule could harm people for months or even years if we don’t strike it down as soon as possible.
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