Case Updates

A Lesser Case Might Have Been Dismissed

On March 31, U.S. District Judge Clifton L. Corker ruled that Ultima Services Corporation has standing to sue the USDA and SBA for racial discrimination for setting aside government contracts through the Section 8(a) Program — which reserves certain federal contracts for minority-owned small businesses.  Ultima filed suit against the

Motion Granted! — Sal Davi Can Speak Freely

On March 3, U.S. District Judge Edward R. Korman ruled that the New York Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) violated Sal Davi’s right to free speech when officers demoted him over comments he made in a private Facebook conversation.  Davi had criticized current welfare

CIR Announces 2021 Walpin Fellowship

CIR is now accepting applications for the 2021 summer Walpin Fellowship program, named after Gerald Walpin, a longtime friend and member of the Board of the Center for Individual Rights. The Walpin fellowship is intended to support law students interested in conservative public interest litigation and offers a $5,000 stipend. 

Professor Punished for Research

The Center for Individual Rights has filed suit against the University of Pittsburgh and several affiliated organizations for disciplining Dr. Norman Wang in response to a study that he published on the development of affirmative action over the last fifty years.  The publicly-funded university has violated long established First Amendment

Separated by Race

CIR has filed suit against the State of Oregon for establishing a coronavirus relief fund that is limited to black Oregonians.  Setting aside government money for a race-exclusive fund violates the Fourteenth Amendment and federal anti-discrimination law.

In July, The Contingent, an Oregon nonprofit that primarily serves black Oregonians, and the

Won’t Back Down

On October 15, CIR filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit in Barke v. Banks, which challenges Section 3550 — a gag law that prohibits statements from public employers that “deter or discourage” union membership.  CIR is appealing the district court’s decision to dismiss the suit for lack of standing.

The

Well-Worn Playbook

In February, CIR filed a lawsuit against the SBA and USDA on behalf of Ultima Services Corporation challenging a federal program that sets aside government contracts for minority-owned businesses, called the Section 8(a) program.  Since then,  the agencies have turned to their well-worn playbook to try to have the case

Putting Words in Their Mouths

On June 26, CIR filed a reply brief in support of its motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the enforcement of Section 3550, a California law that prohibits public employers from criticizing public employee unions.  CIR is challenging Section 3550 as unconstitutional, but while litigation is in progress, public

Loosening the grip of the administrative state

In Seila Law LLC v. CFPB, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to take an important first step in restraining the nearly unchecked power of independent agencies by ruling that the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is unconstitutional.  The CFPB is an independent agency in charge of regulating consumer

Terms of Ensnarement

In Barke v. Banks, CIR is challenging California law Section 3550, which directly prohibits public employers from criticizing government unions.  But legislatures around the country are silencing union criticism in other ways—namely by mandating labor peace agreements.  An LPA is a contract that an employer signs with a union before