When Gov. Sarah Sanders signed House Bill 1365, which repealed race-based quotas on two state public boards, the new law nullified a lawsuit brought by two groups, Do No Harm and FAIR, the Foundation Against intolerance and Racism.
Jeff Jennings is an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, the law firm representing the two organizations. He says the state legislature responded to the lawsuit with the House bill.
“So we're really happy about that,” he tells AFN.
The racial quota requirement, and the Pacific Legal lawsuit, involved two states boards: the State Occupational Therapy Examining Committee, and the State Board of Examiners in Counseling.
Two Arkansans were represented in the lawsuit after stating they applied for a seat on each board but they were denied a spot because of their race.
Monica Harris, executive director of FAIR, said in a statement Arkansas took a “meaningful step” toward a society where people are judged “by their character and contributions, not their skin color,"
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, founder and chairman of Do No Harm, said in a statement public service should be open to every citizen who qualifies regardless of their race.
Jennings says similar non-white quotas are common all over the United States, and Goldfarb has vowed to fight those quotas in other courts.
