Supreme Court limits set-aside program in Croson

The Supreme Court rules in City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co. on January 23, 1989, striking down Richmond's minority business set-aside program for city contracts. The city had required some public contracting dollars to go to minority-owned firms. The Court says state and local racial classifications must face strict scrutiny and must be tied to specific evidence of past discrimination. The ruling makes race-conscious contracting programs harder to defend at the state and local level. The decision extends strict scrutiny beyond federal affirmative action programs.