U.S. Judge Blocks Houston Minority Contracting Program

Houston minority contracting program David Hittner injunction 14th Amendment

U.S. District Judge David Hittner issued a permanent injunction halting Houston, Texas's Minority, Women, and Small Business Enterprise Program. He ruled the race‑conscious contracting policies unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment, marking the first application of the Supreme Court's 2023 affirmative‑action decision to a municipal contracting program.

The lawsuit was brought by Landscape Consultants of Texas and Metropolitan Landscape Management, owned by Jerry and Theresa Thompson, and represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation. The plaintiffs argued the city’s policies violated equal‑protection rights because they set numerical goals for awarding contracts to minority‑owned businesses without showing a need to remedy past discrimination. The ruling also affects a similar program run by the city’s Midtown Management District.

Entities: City of Houston · David Hittner · Jerry Thompson · Pacific Legal Foundation · Theresa Thompson

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 7 SOURCES] Judge Hittner issued a permanent injunction preventing enforcement of the race‑based policy. (court order)
[● 7 SOURCES] Houston's Minority, Women, and Small Business Enterprise Program set annual numerical goals for awarding contracts to minority‑owned businesses. (program description)
[● 7 SOURCES] The ruling is the first to apply the Supreme Court's 2023 affirmative‑action decision to a municipal contracting program. (court ruling)
[● 7 SOURCES] The judge ruled the program unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment. (court ruling)
[● 7 SOURCES] The plaintiffs are represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation. (legal representation)
[● 7 SOURCES] The lawsuit was filed by Landscape Consultants of Texas and Metropolitan Landscape Management, owned by Jerry and Theresa Thompson. (plaintiffs)
[● 7 SOURCES] The city also operated a similar contracting program in the Midtown Management District. (program description)
[● 7 SOURCES] U.S. District Judge David Hittner blocked Houston's minority contracting program. (court ruling)