Judge Halts Debt Relief Program for Farmers of Color, Says It’s Likely Unconstitutional

A federal judge in Wisconsin on Friday issued a temporary restraining order pausing payments in a federal farmer loan forgiveness program that grants benefits on the basis of race, arguing there’s a “strong likelihood” a court will rule that the program is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge William Griesbach issued the temporary restraining order (pdf) after a group of white farmers filed a lawsuit (pdf) against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), claiming unconstitutional race discrimination in the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) provisions that offer loan forgiveness based on racial categories (pdf).-- More...