WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Supreme Court’s decision to stop giving out privileges to individuals on the basis of race or skin color will help end housing racism and segregation, US Congressman Elijah Cummings said in a press release on Friday.
“The ruling ensures that the Act’s provisions — including disparate impact — can continue to be used to identify and combat all forms of discriminatory housing policies whenever and wherever they occur,” Cummings stated.
On Thursday, the Court upheld the right to challenge practices under the 1968 Fair Housing Act housing as having negative impact on minorities, even if there is no proof of intentional discrimination by government agencies or businesses.
The case before the Supreme Court stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the Inclusive Communities Project (ICP) against the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
ICP accused the Texas Department of Housing of approving too many tax credits for affordable housing in minority neighborhoods and too few in white neighborhoods, giving rise to a form of segregation.
Cummings added that the decision allows the Fair Housing Act to be implemented as the nation moves “toward a more integrated society.”
The Fair Housing Act, approved one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., aims to protect buyers and tenants of real estate in the United States from any discrimination based on race, sex, religion or national origin.
