Articles

If this school district wins, students lose

January 25, 2016 | By RALPH KASARDA

In celebration of National School Choice Week, this post is one of many that will appear here on the Liberty Blog this week by PLF attorneys who are litigating cases in support of school choice.  This post provides the latest information about Anderson Union High School District v. Shasta Secondary Home School, which I first … ...

Articles

Racial preferences undermine the dream of Dr. King

January 18, 2016 | By RALPH KASARDA

On this day we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This holiday commemorates Dr. King’s remarkable struggles to combat racial inequality through nonviolence. My blog post from two years ago highlights his belief in American Personalism. Regrettably, the government’s continued use of racial preferences undermines ...

Articles

School district sues popular charter school to stop school choice

December 08, 2015 | By RALPH KASARDA

PLF attorneys filed a brief last week in Anderson Union High School District v. Shasta Secondary Home School. The case concerns efforts by a California school district to limit the educational opportunities offered by a nearby public charter school to the detriment of students in the district. The school district believes it is losing state fundi ...

Articles

Disparity studies get no respect

December 01, 2015 | By RALPH KASARDA

It turns out few people trust consulting firms that conduct disparity studies.  According to an article in the New York Daily News, New York City recently entered into a contract with consulting firm MGT of America to conduct a disparity study.  The firm is to determine whether the city gave out fewer contracts by percentage … ...

Articles

Time to set aside government race-based set-aside contracts

October 30, 2015 | By RALPH KASARDA

PLF attorneys filed a brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit this week in Rothe Development, Inc. v. United States Department of Defense. In their brief, attorneys for PLF argue that the racial classification enacted in 1978 to set aside federal contracts under section 8(a) of the Small … ...

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Will Cincinnati award contracts based on race?

September 30, 2015 | By RALPH KASARDA

  Last year the City of Cincinnati agreed to pay a California-based company about $1 million to analyze city contracts for evidence of discrimination. The disparity study, which was actually completed in July, was finally released to the public this week. According to one news report, the study found disparities in City contracting that may & ...

Articles

California Supreme Court to scrutinize city’s money grab

August 26, 2015 | By RALPH KASARDA

Are you paying hidden taxes through your electric utility bill?  The residents of Redding are, and a lawsuit to stop it has reached the California Supreme Court.  PLF attorneys filed a brief last week challenging those taxes in Citizens for Fair REU Rates v. Redding. When the Redding City Council approved the city’s budgets for … ...

Articles

Court tells prime contractor : Discriminate, or don’t bid

August 21, 2015 | By RALPH KASARDA

The Seventh Circuit issued a decision this week that basically tells prime contractors this: If you don’t want to discriminate against subcontractors on the basis of race and sex, then don’t bid on public contracts. The case is Dunnet Bay Construction Company v. Borggren, and the decision is here. Prime contractor Dunnet Bay Constructio ...

Articles

Sacramento Bee runs PLF Op-Ed on diversity

July 20, 2015 | By RALPH KASARDA

Last week, on Friday, the Sacramento Bee ran an op-ed written by PLF attorney Ralph Kasarda.  The article describes how hiring decisions based on racial diversity, rather than merit, can lead to race discrimination.  The article can be found here. … ...