Federal judge rules minority business agency must also assist white people

A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), created 55 years ago to assist minority-owned businesses, must now provide its services to white individuals as well. The ruling: The decision followed a lawsuit filed by white business owners who were denied MBDA services, claiming discrimination and arguing that the agency's policies were unconstitutional. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, found that MBDA's presumption of inherent disadvantage for minority-owned businesses violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause.