On June 3, 2026, the American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) and Defending Education (DE) sued the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit claims the Foundation is breaking Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, a federal law that guarantees every person the same right to make and enforce contracts regardless of race. The Foundation’s CBC Spouses Education Scholarship is open only to students who are “African American and Black” and who live or study in an area represented by a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
On August 31, 2026, the groups filed a second amended complaint.
Read the second amended complaint below:
