Dade County, Florida had programs that gave preference to minority and women-owned businesses in construction contracts. Trade associations sued, arguing these race and gender-conscious preferences violated equal protection rights. The court agreed and permanently blocked the county from using these preferences in awarding construction work. This means Dade County must award contracts based on merit alone, not on contractor demographics.
Race, ethnicity, and gender-based contract preferences in government construction work are unconstitutional unless narrowly tailored to remedy specific, documented discrimination