{"id":10447,"date":"2024-04-29T17:19:08","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T17:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=10447"},"modified":"2024-04-29T18:01:03","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T18:01:03","slug":"biden-administration-ordered-to-pay-wills-attorney-fees-following-mbda-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=10447","title":{"rendered":"Biden Administration Ordered to Pay WILL\u2019s Attorney Fees Following MBDA Win"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post originally appeared at https:\/\/will-law.org\/biden-administration-ordered-to-pay-wills-attorney-fees-following-mbda-win\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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Rare win highlights the significant costs required to challenge unconstitutional government programs\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

The News<\/span><\/b>: The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) was awarded over $350,000 by a federal court after it successfully sued the Biden Administration for race discrimination. The order comes on the heels of the court\u2019s decision last month, which held that the federally run Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) unconstitutionally discriminated against small business owners based on race. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

WILL\u2019s clients receive free legal representation thanks to the generosity of our donors. WILL does not accept government grants or other kinds of public contributions that could influence the litigation we choose to pursue or the outcomes of our research. Obtaining a fee award in a case such as this is exceedingly rare because of strict limitations in federal law. WILL\u2019s win highlights the Biden Administration\u2019s significant overreach and the strength of the case brought by WILL attorneys.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Quotes: <\/span><\/b>WILL President and General Counsel Rick Esenberg stated, \u201cWILL\u2019s legal work doesn\u2019t come free, and our dedicated lawyers earn less than they could elsewhere because of their passion for the mission. While we are mostly donor-funded, this award properly compensates us for the work we do, and lets the government know that it ought not discriminate based on race.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

WILL Deputy Counsel, Dan Lennington, stated, \u201cWinning these legal fees will help us do even more work to uphold the Constitution and upend racist DEI programs across the country. While we hope that this judgment serves as a deterrent against unconstitutional race discrimination, we are not taking our foot off the gas. In fact, we are just getting started.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional Background: <\/span><\/b>In a recent ruling, a federal judge ruled that <\/span>t<\/span><\/b>he Biden Administration is now prohibited from using the MBDA to discriminate against businesses based on race. In the Court\u2019s words, MBDA \u201ccan still operate its Business Centers, it must simply do so without vetting applicants based on race.\u201d<\/span> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In awarding fees, U.S. District Judge, Mark T. Pittman, specifically noted WILL\u2019s national reputation and skill of its attorneys, \u201cHere, the skills and well-earned reputation of the Plaintiffs\u2019 lawyers speak for themselves. Indeed, Plaintiffs\u2019 lawyers have crafted a practice specializing in civil rights cases just like this.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The judge believed, like we did, that the federal government should have changed this program after S<\/span>tudents for Fair Admissions v. Harvard <\/span><\/i>(\u201cSFFA\u201d). He wrote that SFFA \u201cshould have been the MBDA\u2019s sign to press pause on its presumption and consider alternative routes forward.\u201d \u00a0But the Administration plowed ahead \u201cin disregard of binding Supreme Court precedent,\u201d the judge wrote. That legal precedent will continue to drive our work in this area. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read More: <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n