Conservative Lawyer Group Sues Evanston Over Reparations Payments

Judicial Watch argues the city's reparations program is unconstitutional.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Judicial Watch, a conservative organization of lawyers, has filed a class action lawsuit against Evanston, Illinois over the city's reparations program that provides payments to Black Evanston residents and their descendants who faced housing discrimination between 1919 and 1969. The group argues the program's use of race as an eligibility requirement violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Why it matters

Evanston's reparations program is the first government-funded initiative in the United States aimed at providing reparations to Black residents who faced historical housing discrimination. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of such race-based reparations programs, which could have broader implications for similar efforts in other cities and states.

The details

Judicial Watch, a conservative legal organization, filed the lawsuit on behalf of six non-Black Evanston residents who are descendants of people who lived in the city between 1919 and 1969. The group argues that "Remedying societal discrimination is not a compelling governmental interest" and that the program's use of race as an eligibility requirement is unconstitutional. To date, 137 people have received more than $3 million in reparations through Evanston's program, which is funded through real estate transfer taxes and a cannabis retailers occupation tax.

  • Evanston's reparations program was established in 2019 and approved by the city council in 2021.
  • Last week, the Evanston Reparations Committee announced it will soon issue $25,000 payments to 44 additional descendants this year.

The players

Judicial Watch

A conservative organization of lawyers that has filed a class action lawsuit against Evanston over its reparations program.

Tom Fitton

The president of Judicial Watch, who has criticized Evanston's reparations program as "a ploy to redistribute tax dollars to individuals based on race."

Evanston Reparations Committee

The committee overseeing Evanston's reparations program, which has announced upcoming $25,000 payments to 44 additional descendants.

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What they’re saying

“The Evanston, Illinois' 'reparations' program is nothing more than a ploy to redistribute tax dollars to individuals based on race. This scheme unconstitutionally discriminates against anyone who does not identify as Black or African American. This class action, civil rights lawsuit will be a historic defense of our colorblind Constitution.”

— Tom Fitton, President, Judicial Watch (Patch.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide whether to allow the lawsuit to proceed as a class action.

The takeaway

This lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of Evanston's reparations program, which could have broader implications for similar efforts in other cities and states seeking to provide reparations to address historical racial injustices. The outcome of this case will be closely watched as a test of the legal boundaries around race-based government programs.