{"id":2614794,"date":"2026-06-16T19:33:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:33:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-joins-lawsuit-challenging-evanston-illinois-reparations-program\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T19:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:38:17","slug":"doj-joins-lawsuit-challenging-evanston-illinois-reparations-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-joins-lawsuit-challenging-evanston-illinois-reparations-program\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ joins lawsuit challenging Evanston, Illinois, reparations program"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-joins-lawsuit-challenging-evanston-illinois-reparations-program%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2614794&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Justice Department has filed to join a federal lawsuit challenging Evanston, Illinois&#8217;s reparations program, arguing that it violates the Constitution by distributing benefits based on race and ancestry.The program provides housing-related benefits to Black residents and descendants affected by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-kicks-off-so-called-progressive-package-with-decades-old-policies\/\" title=\"Joe Biden kicks off so-called progressive package with decades-old policies\">past discriminatory policies<\/a>. Federal attorneys claim the program infringes on the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and the Fair Housing Act, asserting it improperly allocates government benefits based on race, which is illegal. evanston officials maintain confidence in the program\u2019s legality and are reviewing the DOJ\u2019s motion. The lawsuit, initiated by Judicial Watch, contends that race-based reparations are unconstitutional, while supporters see it as a targeted response to past discrimination. The legal battle highlights ongoing debates over race-based initiatives and equal protection under the law.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department<\/a> moved Tuesday to join an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aoc-confuses-natural-gas-for-oil-in-video-explaining-why-pipelines-are-bad\/\" title=\"AOC Confuses Natural Gas For Oil In Video Explaining Why Pipelines Are Bad\">ongoing federal lawsuit challenging<\/a> an Evanston, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/illinois\/\">Illinois<\/a>, reparations program, arguing that the nation\u2019s first municipal reparations initiative violates the Constitution by distributing benefits based on race and ancestry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/media\/1446151\/dl?utm_medium=email&#038;utm_source=govdelivery\">filing submitted<\/a> to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the DOJ asked to intervene in <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/68559571\/flinn-v-city-of-evanston\/\">Flinn v. City of Evanston<\/a><\/em>, a lawsuit originally brought by conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch in May 2024. The complaint challenges Evanston\u2019s reparations program, which provides housing-related benefits to certain black residents and descendants of black residents who were affected by past discriminatory housing policies.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4611386\/rahmanullah-lakanwal-accused-shooting-national-guardsmen-pleads-not-guilty\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Man accused of shooting National Guard members in DC pleads not guilty<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4610394\/nra-sues-michigan-license-requirement-purchase-guns\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>NRA sues Michigan over license requirement to purchase guns<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4610674\/mike-dewine-capital-punishment-ohio-death-penalty\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mike DeWine reverses position on capital punishment: \u2018Abolish the death penalty\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration\u2019s DOJ argued that the program\u2019s eligibility criteria violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and the federal Fair Housing Act. Federal attorneys also alleged that the city declined to cooperate with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-announces-investigation-into-andrew-brown-jr-shooting\/\" title=\"FBI Announces Investigation Into Andrew Brown Jr. Shooting\">civil rights investigation<\/a> after receiving a DOJ notice in March.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/harmeet-dhillon\/\">Harmeet Dhillon<\/a>, assistant Justice Department attorney for civil rights, said the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >program improperly distributes government benefits based<\/a> on race and ancestry.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">U.S. Justice Department Moves to Intervene in Race Discrimination Lawsuit Challenging Reparations Program in Evanston, Illinois<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnder the pretext of paying reparations for events more than 100 years ago, the City of Evanston has chosen to distribute millions of dollars in cash\u2026 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SoyLXQr6Ur\">pic.twitter.com\/SoyLXQr6Ur<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 DOJ Civil Rights Division (@CivilRights) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CivilRights\/status\/2066959534254354624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 16, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are sound ways for a city to remedy past discrimination or direct resources to its most vulnerable citizens and neighborhoods,\u201d Dhillon said in a statement. \u201cSimply handing out money based on race, however, is not the answer. It is race discrimination, pure and simple. And it is illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the filing, acting Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/todd-blanche\/\">Todd Blanche<\/a> personally certified that the case is one of public importance and authorized federal intervention to enforce the Fair Housing Act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chicago-based U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros, an appointee of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>, said the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a> has consistently held that government classifications based on race are presumptively unconstitutional.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Constitution demands that the government treat citizens as individuals, not as members of a racial class,\u201d Boutros said in a statement. \u201cDistributing public funds based on an individual\u2019s ancestry or race divides the citizenry and establishes the very hierarchy the Equal Protection Clause was designed to dismantle.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The filing marks the latest escalation in a legal battle over Evanston\u2019s reparations initiative, which city leaders have defended as a targeted response to decades of discriminatory housing and zoning practices that harmed black residents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last month, a federal judge rejected Evanston\u2019s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, allowing the case to move forward after nearly two years of litigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for the city said officials were aware of the DOJ\u2019s filing and continue to maintain that the reparations program is lawful. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss (D) said the city was reviewing the federal government\u2019s motion and remained confident the program would withstand judicial scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe stand behind our first-in-the-nation reparations program, are confident in its constitutionality, and look forward to defending it in court,\u201d Biss said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nonprofit organization FirstRepair, which helps administer the distribution of reparations funds, criticized the DOJ\u2019s intervention as an \u201cunfortunate escalation\u201d but said it was not unexpected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4597153\/illinois-democrats-glock-ncla\/\">ILLINOIS DEMOCRATS EYE GLOCK BAN DESPITE BACKLASH FROM SECOND AMENDMENT ADVOCATES OVER EXISTING STATE REGULATIONS <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement, the organization said the lawsuit represents a broader challenge to reparations efforts nationwide and defended Evanston\u2019s program as an attempt to address \u201cthe specific, documented impacts of unlawful zoning and housing policies instituted by the City of Evanston.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton welcomed the DOJ\u2019s decision to enter the case, calling Evanston\u2019s program a \u201cblatantly unconstitutional reparations scheme\u201d and describing it as a race-based government benefit program.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ joins lawsuit against Evanston reparations program over race-based benefits<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2614795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DOJ-logo.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[33274,28042,4901,4585,9128],"class_list":["post-2614794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-civil-rights","tag-evanston","tag-justice","tag-lawsuit","tag-reparations"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DOJ-logo.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2614794"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2614798,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614794\/revisions\/2614798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2614795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2614794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2614794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2614794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}