Supreme Court Decision a Victory for American Civil Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, in the case of Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, the Supreme Court upheld the principle of disparate impact, which is used under the Fair Housing Act to invalidate housing laws and policies that have discriminatory effects, even if the discrimination that occurred was unintentional. NCLR (National Council of La Raza) applauds today’s decision, which upholds 40 years of legal precedent allowing the use of disparate impact to root out discrimination.
“Today the Supreme Court reaffirmed essential protections for not only Latinos, but all Americans under the Fair Housing Act,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO, NCLR. “Regardless of whether they were explicitly designed to discriminate, laws that in practice restrict housing opportunities or create obstacles to fair housing based on people’s race, gender or religion are unfair, and they should be eliminated.”
Approximately three million cases of housing discrimination are reported each year. Research conducted by NCLR over the past decade shows that Latinos are still discriminated against at almost every level of the housing industry. Latinos and other minority families are frequently shown different homes than Whites in specific neighborhoods, regardless of income; are less likely to receive helpful financing information to make home buying easier; are often provided different terms or conditions for sale or rental of a home; and disproportionately receive higher-cost home loans.
“The Fair Housing Act is an important tool for preventing discrimination and expanding opportunity,” added Murguía. “The community in which we live plays a significant role in determining where our children can attend school, whether grocery stores have healthy, fresh food and what types of decent-paying jobs are available. Today’s decision strengthens the Hispanic community and will allow Latinos to live the American Dream, building their lives in the neighborhoods and homes they desire.”
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
