The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to stop reparations programs across the country, claiming that state and local officials are engaging in 'virtue signaling' to gain votes. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated that all Americans should be judged on their individual merits rather than as part of a collective group. She expressed concerns that reparations programs, such as the one in Evanston, Illinois, do not align with constitutional standards, particularly regarding racial classifications and the distribution of government benefits.
The DOJ has joined a class-action lawsuit challenging Evanston's 'Local Reparations Restorative Housing Program,' which offers $25,000 grants to eligible Black residents or their direct descendants. The DOJ argues that the program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Fair Housing Act by distributing assistance based solely on race.
The initiative, approved in 2019 and launched in 2021, aims to address historical housing discrimination. However, the DOJ contends that it does not require beneficiaries to demonstrate personal harm from discriminatory practices. The lawsuit, initiated by Judicial Watch on behalf of six non-Black descendants, claims unconstitutional exclusion from the program.
Evanston has distributed over $7 million from a $20 million fund, primarily sourced from local marijuana tax revenue. The city has maintained its stance on the program's legality despite the DOJ's intervention. The federal government's request to formally intervene in the case is currently pending in court.