Supreme Court upholds key tool for fighting housing bias

Washington Post ^ | 06/25/2015 | AP

[GIdget2004]

The Supreme Court handed a major victory to the Obama administration and civil rights groups on Thursday when it upheld a key tool used for more than four decades to fight housing discrimination.

The justices ruled 5-4 that federal housing laws prohibit seemingly neutral practices that harm minorities, even without proof of intentional discrimination. The case involved an appeal from Texas officials accused of violating the Fair Housing Act by awarding federal tax credits in a way that kept low-income housing out of white neighborhoods.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, often a swing vote, joined the court’s four liberal members in upholding the use of so-called “disparate impact” cases.

[GIdget2004]

Much less coverage of this one, of course, but following the SCOTUSBlog when they made the announcement, this one seemed to surprise the "experts" even more than the ACA decision.

[Politicalkiddo]

“Justice Anthony Kennedy”

Hope he gets his. Along with Roberts, of course.

[GeronL]

neutral and no intent of discrimination will not protect you from the stormtroopers

[GeronL]

lampposts when the time comes

[ChildOfThe60s]

IOW, not granting special privileges, even unintentionally, is discrimination and punishable by our lords and masters.

[morphing libertarian]

We’re deep into the twilight zone. The WH and USSC are way outside of constitutional limitations and the congress is impotent. Extremely dangerous combination.

[The Toll]

Not discriminating is discrimination.

[Gaffer]

Roberts. One of the legacies of George W. Bush (for whom I voted - twice) along with the TSA and DHS....great job W. Enjoy your retirement.

I won’t be voting for your Mexican brother, though. EVER.

[sphinx]

So if I put a "for sale" sign on my house and it has a disparate impact on the illiterate, I can be sued?

Illiteracy may not be a protected category under the law, but it correlates with protected categories.

[silverleaf]

yes, let’s hope section 8 housing moves into Justice Kennedy’s neighborhood

[Steely Tom]

Everything’s going against us.

[Huskrrrr]

Government grabbing private property and giving it to “underrepresented minorties” coming soon.”

[GraceG]

[umgud]

I’ll bet they rule against gays. /s

Just funnin ya.

[annieokie]

exactly what I was thinking.........

[cuban leaf]

Make no mistake, these two decisions mark the end of the republic. June 25, 2015. A day that will live in infamy.

The decisions are not the point. The implications of how such ridiculous decisions could be made are the point. We’ve lost. Utterly.

We are, indeed, living in interesting times. And they are getting exponentially more interesting. And I stand more than ever behind my tag line.

[Cboldt]

Housing discrimination? I call baloney on that. What the law does is establish a preferred class of citizen. The government is playing favorites.

The way to get on the preferred list is to underperform.

[jsanders2001]

Since you and your kind like sovoal experiments I would like for you to participate in one. Build a very nice upscale apartment that is ifenticql in two different locations. One you will rent out only to white people. The other to only minorities. Now visit the apartments 5 years from now and report on their condition and the number of repairs and maintenance that was required by both. Run the numbers and get back to me. Oh is that racist? I didn’t mean it to be. I just wanted you to see the truth and why apartment complexes screen their applicants.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I won’t be voting for your Mexican brother, though. EVER.

Agreed. If the choice is between dragging myself off the couch to go vote for Jeb, or a Storage Wars Marathon on cable, I've already decided what I will do.

[lastchance]

If won’t go to the ghetto the government will bring the ghetto to you.