‘Time’s Up’: Trump-Appointed Judge Grants Permanent Injunction Against Minority Business Development Agency

A federal judge granted a permanent injunction against the federal government’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Wednesday and declared the organization’s prioritization of certain racial groups as unconstitutional.

The MBDA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce formed in 1969 “dedicated to the growth and global competitiveness of minority business,” and was permanently established by President Joe Biden, according to its website. Trump-appointed United States District Judge Mark Pittman wrote that the MBDA’s mission was in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution in a court order after the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) filed a complaint against the agency in March 2023.  

“While the Agency may intend to serve listed groups, not punish unlisted groups, the very design of its presumption punishes those who are not presumptively entitled to MBDA benefits,” Pittman wrote in the court order. “The federal government may not flagrantly violate such rights with impunity. The MBDA has done so for years. Time’s up.”