Says race-based COVID relief for farmers is not constitutional.
District Court Judge Marcia Morales Howard has issued a ruling temporarily blocking the Department of Agriculture from implementing relief under the American Rescue Plan to farmers of color. Her motion stated that the debt-forgiveness program, based on race, likely violates equal protection under the law for farmers who are not minorities.
Judge Howard stated, “Congress moved with great speed to address the history of discrimination, but did not move with great care.” She continued that the legislation for debt relief “appears to fall well short of the delicate balance accomplished when a legislative enactment employs race in a narrowly tailored manner to address a specific compelling governmental interest.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For federal judges as they hear challenges to hastily approved laws.
- For members of Congress to take the time necessary to ensure new laws do not conflict with existing ones.
- For all the farmers in need of relief due to the pandemic.
Sources: Politico, Reuters
