Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) filed the lawsuit on behalf of the American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) to stop what PLF calls "Alabama's unlawful racial quota for appointments" to the Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board.
"This is something that we've identified that is happening in a number of states across the country, where public boards that regulate various professions have racial or gender quotas built into them," explains PLF attorney Glenn Roper. "The statute in Alabama governing those appraisers says for this nine-member board … there has to be at least two racial minorities on the board."
PLF is challenging that as a violation of the Equal Protection Clause.
The case, American Alliance for Equal Rights v. Kay Ivey, is filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.
"About half the states are going to have similar kinds of quotas on their boards," Roper notes. "Even if it's not true for your particular state, I still think this is an issue you should be aware of, just to know that there is this widespread inequality going on in the country."
AFN is seeking comment from both the Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board and Governor Kay Ivey (R-Alabama).
