U.S. appeals court revises Black-empowerment group’s discrimination claims against Pinellas

By: Michael Moline

Outlets: Florida Phoenix

Published: July 29, 2026

Words: 468

Last Updated: 5 days, 1 hour ago

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The Pinellas County Commission violated the First Amendment rights of a Black-empowerment group by withholding COVID-response grants for political and racial reasons, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

A unanimous opinion by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit rejected a trial judge’s ruling that the grant denials didn’t offend the African People’s Education and Defense Fund’s (APEDF) First Amendment and equal-protection rights.

“Giving it …

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