BUSINESS
Federal judge halts disaster aid program for minority farmers
The program is the latest to be blocked in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning affirmative action in college admissions.

By Julian Mark and Aaron Gregg
Updated June 10, 2024 at 3:38 p.m. EDT | Published June 10, 2024 at 11:29 a.m. EDT

A federal judge in Texas has blocked an Agriculture Department disaster relief program from giving preferences to minority and female farmers, siding with a group of plaintiffs who allege that the program illegally discriminates against White male farmers.

n an order filed Friday in the Northern District of Texas, Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk found that the program probably violated the plaintiffs’ equal-protection rights under the Constitution. Kacsmaryk, appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote that the Department of Agriculture is enjoined from providing relief to farmers based on its “socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher” designation, which he said funneled a greater share of aid to farmers identifying as Black, American Indian, Latino, Asian or Pacific Islander, as well as women.

The injunction comes after a pair of judges in June 2021 blocked a Biden administration program that provided debt relief to farmers of color. Congress altered the program after those court orders, granting relief based on economic need instead of race.

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The injunction is the latest legal blow against government programs that give preferences to women and minorities amid a wave of legal challenges to diversity programs spanning the private and public sectors. In March, a Texas judge ordered a 55-year-old federal agency tasked with helping minority-owned businesses access capital and government contracts to open its doors to all races. And last summer, a federal judge ordered that a Small Business Administration program created to help minority-owned businesses access government contracts serve all races, prompting the agency to require applicants to justify their social disadvantage through essays.

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By Julian Mark
Julian Mark covers breaking business and technology news for The Washington Post. He previously worked overnight with The Post's Morning Mix team. Before joining The Post, he covered housing and policing for Mission Local in San Francisco. Twitter https://twitter.com/juleswapo

By Aaron Gregg
Aaron Gregg is a business reporter for the Washington Post. Twitter https://twitter.com/Post_AG