The biggest federal housing subsidy program in Texas — which awarded $9.7 billion in tax credits from 1990 to 2011 — effectively has been reinforcing segregated housing, the U.S. Supreme Court found Thursday.
Divided along partisan lines, the high court ruled 5-4 against the state of Texas, which administers the federally backed subsidy program.
“Much progress remains to be made in our Nation’s continuing struggle against racial isolation,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. “We must remain wary of policies that reduce homeowners to nothing more than their race.”
The ruling, which strengthens the federal Fair Housing Act, is a victory for civil rights groups across the country.
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