Asheville’s settlement of a legal fight regarding the Human Relations Commission of Asheville could set an important precedent for courts across the country as they evaluate racially informed appointments to government boards.
Asheville City Council established the HRCA in 2018 to address issues of equity in city government. Council was specifically seeking members from Black, Latino, LGBTQ, and other identity groups to provide diverse perspectives. At their Aug. 26 meeting this year, however, Council members voted to eliminate language that called for commission appointments to consider “individuals from different races, ethnicities, sexual orientation and socioeconomic backgrounds.”
The move allowed Asheville to resolve a federal lawsuit submitted by five white residents, led by former city employee and onetime Council candidate John Miall, in September 2023. The plaintiffs alleged that the city kept them from serving on the HRCA due to their race, thereby violating the Civil Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause…