DOJ Opposes Evanston Bid To Toss Challenge To Race-Based Reparations
The Justice Department said it will oppose Evanston, Illinois's anticipated motion to dismiss a federal challenge to the city's race-based reparations program, the department announced on November 2, 2026.[1]
Judge John F. Kness granted the DOJ's motion to intervene and earlier denied Evanston's prior motion to dismiss in the Judicial Watch class-action lawsuit.[1] Evanston's program offers $25,000 in housing-related benefits and cash payments to Black residents and descendants who lived in the city between 1919 and 1969, and it is funded by a local cannabis tax.[1]
Judicial Watch filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the program, and the DOJ says the plan violates the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause and the Fair Housing Act by distributing benefits based on race and ancestry.[1]
The DOJ's move to oppose Evanston's expected dismissal keeps the federal complaint active and signals the department will press those constitutional and housing-law claims in court.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On November 2, 2026, a DOJ spokesperson said the department will oppose Evanston's anticipated motion to dismiss the federal complaint over its reparations program.
- Judge John F. Kness previously granted DOJ's motion to intervene in the Judicial Watch class-action lawsuit and denied Evanston's prior motion to dismiss that suit.
- Evanston's program offers $25,000 in housing-related benefits and cash payments to Black residents and descendants who lived in the city between 1919 and 1969, funded by a local cannabis tax.
- DOJ alleges the program violates the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause and the Fair Housing Act by distributing benefits based on race and ancestry.
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