Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,
A federal judge ruled on July 15 that a race-based provision of the Digital Equity Act, signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 to close digital gaps, was unconstitutional.
A judge's gavel rests on top of a desk in a courtroom in Miami, Fla., on Feb. 3, 2009. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThe Digital Equity Act was part of Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which appropriated $2.75 billion to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish grant programs to expand high-speed internet access for minority groups and communities in rural areas.
After taking office for a second term last year, President Donald Trump halted the competitive grant program authorized under the Digital Equity Act, saying it was unconstitutional because it allocated federal funding based on race.
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a recipient of the competitive grant program, later filed a lawsuit in October 2025 seeking to reinstate the program.
In a 35-page order, U.S. District Judge John Bates ruled that the Digital Equity Act's provision authorizing the use of race in awarding federal funds was unconstitutional, citing the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling that struck down race-based preferences in higher education admissions.
Bates said that while the Digital Equity Act aims to address the digital divide among minority groups and other covered populations, the Supreme Court precedent showed that remedying general social disparities alone does not justify the use of race in government action.
"Addressing that gap is a laudable goal, but the Supreme Court has admonished that ameliorating general societal inequalities - as opposed to specific instances of past discrimination - 'does not constitute a compelling interest that justifies race-based state action,'" the judge stated.
"Otherwise, Congress could deploy racial classifications when confronted with any situation of an uneven resource distribution."
Bates said the grant program could be reinstated without the race-based provision, and the government had committed to restoring it upon a judicial determination that the provision was unconstitutional.
Trump welcomed the ruling in a Truth Social post, calling it a "big win" for the American people.
"The so-called 'Digital Equity Act,' a Biden DEI law, was ruled exactly what I said it was last year - A RACIST and UNCONSTITUTIONAL giveaway that never should have become Law," he wrote.
The decision to end the Digital Equity Act comes amid the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs from federal agencies and government initiatives.
Trump stated in a Jan. 20, 2025, executive order that the previous administration had forced "illegal and immoral discrimination programs" across virtually "all aspects of the federal government" through DEI initiatives.
Christopher Mitchell, director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, credited the National Digital Inclusion Alliance with helping to secure the program's restoration.
"Yesterday's ruling on the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program is, on balance, a victory," Mitchell said in a statement. "The only real question now is how quickly NTIA moves to actually implement it."
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance did not return a request for comment by publication time.
Tyler Durden Sun, 07/19/2026 - 18:40The WNBA has been the butt of jokes for decades. The women's league is a perpetual money pit, with annual losses of around $40 million per year, all subsidized by the men's league. The level of play is often tedious, the pace is much slower and the athleticism is lacking compared to the men's game.
It's the reason why the WNBA has far less viewers, makes no profit and why the women athletes are paid far less. It's not sexism ad many of the players claim, it's just basic math.
One would think that any player that doubles (in some cases triples) the viewership of league games by her mere presence would be widely celebrated by all the people involved including the commission, but sadly, this has not been the case with Caitlin Clark. Clark's expertise and superior ability on the court has brought new life to a floundering sport; the problem is, she's relatively new to the league and, she's white.
This combination triggered many of the minority players, leading to public back-biting on sports talk shows and flagrant fouls on the court. The audience and social media started to take notice. In fact, one could argue that it was all the clips of jealous WNBA athletes attacking Clark on the court that made her more popular than ever. Not to mention, it seems as if most of the fouls are committed by black players.
The latest flagrant foul involved Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, who appeared to knee Clark in the groin area and then press her closed fist into Clark's throat while she was on the ground. No foul was called.
🔥Hold up…A closer look at the dirty play by Alyssa Thomas last night w/ a new angle — Wait for the freeze + zoom on each.
- Knee to the groin
- Pinches her underarm
- Fist to the throat
- Attempt to stomp on her (she moved)
Why do @WNBA players hate Caitlin Clark so much? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/83JZSChdEu
Clark suffered a back injury from the incident and has to sit out multiple games. This is a regular occurrence with Clark; she stands near the top of the list for most fouls and flagrant fouls in the WNBA. In many cases involving flagrant fouls, referees do not make the call, leading to anger and social media backlash among fans.
Some of the dirtiest tricks in basketball are on display regularly in WNBA games, and the attacks on Clark look practiced and organized.
It's not always black players that go for the cheap shots, but there is a clear pattern emerging. It could be envy over Clark's far larger fan following despite being a newer player (female cattiness), but suspicions are hanging in the air that her treatment is largely race motivated. By far, Clark's most vocal critics in sports media are black.
The WNBA and the NBA are not happy with the political undertones of the Clark controversy. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently called Clark a "political football" in interviews as he attempted to dismiss the WNBA's numerous problems with officiating fouls. He seems to outright dismiss any concerns about race-based targeting of Clark.
Speaking as part of a panel at an event in New York, Silver said the debates surrounding Clark had become about broader political and cultural issues in the United States rather than basketball alone. He specifically referenced the foul by Alyssa Thomas that led to Clark's injuries.
"That particular incident is not about whether a foul should have been called at the time of the game or whether that was ultimately a flagrant non-review....I've come to know Caitlin really well. She's an incredible player and also an incredible person. "And she wants to focus on being the best player she can. And she's become a bit of a political football in this country, and I think it's incredibly unfair to her."
Speaking of unfair, Clark was snubbed by the WNBA in a 30th Anniversary commemorative poster (she was strangely absent from the roster), and she was snubbed by the 2024 Olympic "Dream Team" despite being a top star and #1 draft pick.
Emmanuel Acho, a former NFL player and sports analyst (who is also coincidentally black), asserted on the Speakeasy podcast in June that Clark has "become a distraction" and that the WNBA would be better off without her. He argued that Clark got audiences to watch the games, and now the WNBA can throw her away.
🚨🚨WORST TAKE OF ALL-TIME🚨🚨
Ex-#NFL LB Emmanuel Acho says the WNBA would be better off without Caitlin Clark because she is a distraction.
“The WNBA would be better without Caitlin Clark, because she is a bigger distraction than she is an additive” pic.twitter.com/MVwHoWRS8u
They hate Clark and her popularity with a passion, but they like the idea of stealing her audience for themselves. It's rather pathetic, but we're talking about the WNBA. They have lived in the gutter for so long they can't imagine climbing out of it. Of course, Acho is delusional if he thinks all the "eyes" Clark brings to the WNBA won't leave with her if she exits the league.
The bottom line is this: Clark puts butts in seats. No other WNBA player comes close. Yet, the league and many of its commentators treat her like a pariah because they can't make their crow's nest of minority players behave. They are the cause of the controversy. They made Clark into a "political football" by remaining apathetic and dismissive.
Tyler Durden Sun, 07/19/2026 - 17:30