---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled…"
description: "\"In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that minority set-aside programs in municipal contracts were unconstitutional. The court wondered if there were p..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/karen-decrow-12907_color_in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that_2262518.jpg"
---

#  In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that minority…

![“In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that minority set-aside programs in municipal contracts were unconstitutional. The court wondered if there were proof that people of color even want to receive municipal contracts.” quote by Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/karen-decrow-12907_color_in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that_2262518.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/karen-decrow-12907_color_in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that_2262518.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/karen-decrow-12907_color_in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that_2262518.jpg)

> “In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that minority set-aside programs in municipal contracts were unconstitutional. The court wondered if there were proof that people of color even want to receive municipal contracts.”

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The Supreme Court ruled minority set‑aside programs unconstitutional, questioning if minorities even want them.

**In simple terms:** Court struck down minority programs, doubting minority interest.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about minority preferences.

Themes

law civil rights affirmative action

Mood

skeptical concerned

Type

legal political

When to use this quote

- government contracts
- policy debates
- legal challenges

Key Concepts

constitutional law social equity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this ruling affect minority businesses?
- What evidence supports minority desire for contracts?

A Different Perspective

The decision overlooks systemic barriers that limit minority participation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Minorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minorities/) [Minority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minority/) [Municipal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/municipal/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Supreme court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supreme-court/)

## Related quotes

> [In 1967, in DeKalb v. DeSpain, a court (255 F.Supp. 655. N.D.Ill. 1966.) took a 4-line nursery rhyme used by a K-5 kindergarten class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/in-1967-in-dekalb-v-despain-a-court-255-f-supp-655-n-d-ill-1966-took/)

[David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/)

> [There are great municipal investments out there, but on a blanket basis you have to be really careful about knowing what cash flows are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-whitney/there-are-great-municipal-investments-out-there-but-on-a-blanket/)

[Meredith Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-whitney/)

> [Lebanon is restless, Syria got its walking papers, Egypt is scheduling elections with more than one candidate, and even Saudi Arabia, whose rulers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-fields/lebanon-is-restless-syria-got-its-walking-papers-egypt-is-scheduling/)

[Suzanne Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-fields/)

> [In Rio we built a Center of Operations, a situation room that gathers information from municipal departments and allows us to manage and help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-paes/in-rio-we-built-a-center-of-operations-a-situation-room-that-gathers/)

[Eduardo Paes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-paes/)

> [Municipal laws are a supply to the wisdom of each individual; and, at the same time, by restraining the natural liberty of men, make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/municipal-laws-are-a-supply-to-the-wisdom-of-each-individual-and-at/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [There's not a doubt in my mind that you will see a spate of municipal-bond defaults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-whitney/there-s-not-a-doubt-in-my-mind-that-you-will-see-a-spate-of-municipal/)

[Meredith Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-whitney/)

> [When I was brought up in Sweden, there was a great opportunity for young people to learn how to act in our municipal theaters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-von-sydow/when-i-was-brought-up-in-sweden-there-was-a-great-opportunity-for/)

[Max von Sydow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-von-sydow/)

> [As it happens, Chicago is the nation's leader in municipal privatization efforts. That's right: The city that conservatives portray as the citadel of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/as-it-happens-chicago-is-the-nation-s-leader-in-municipal/)

[Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/)

> [Municipal debt outstanding doubled in the past 10 years. And in the past 30 years, the U.S. has been in real economic nirvana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-whitney/municipal-debt-outstanding-doubled-in-the-past-10-years-and-in-the/)

[Meredith Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-whitney/)

> [In the United States, under 3 percent of municipal food waste - so that's the food scraps that goes into people's garbage cans -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/in-the-united-states-under-3-percent-of-municipal-food-waste-so-that/)

[Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/)

> [For those of us who originally disagreed with ObamaCare and now disagree with the majority opinion of the SCOTUS, the challenge remains the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beauprez/for-those-of-us-who-originally-disagreed-with-obamacare-and-now/)

[Bob Beauprez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beauprez/)

> [I lost in my first ever 400m race, the event I almost ruled later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milkha-singh/i-lost-in-my-first-ever-400m-race-the-event-i-almost-ruled-later/)

[Milkha Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milkha-singh/)

> [If the truth be told, we are a society that is dripping in racism. This is not in the least surprising. For the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/if-the-truth-be-told-we-are-a-society-that-is-dripping-in-racism-this/)

[Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/)

> [To be very clear, I have completely ruled out state funding for stadiums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-greitens/to-be-very-clear-i-have-completely-ruled-out-state-funding-for/)

[Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/)

> [We are ruled by quotations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/we-are-ruled-by-quotations/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

## More by Karen DeCrow

> [As any opera fan knows, lawyers and judges do not fare well in most operas. Just consider the productions of 'Andrea Chenier,' 'Aida, Norma,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/as-any-opera-fan-knows-lawyers-and-judges-do-not-fare-well-in-most/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [Operas elucidate, in a way sometimes absent in other theatrical productions, the very human fact that in every hero, there is a thread of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/operas-elucidate-in-a-way-sometimes-absent-in-other-theatrical/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [Despite the strength of the feminist movement in the 1970s and beyond, a fable has persisted that educated women are rejected as marriage partners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/despite-the-strength-of-the-feminist-movement-in-the-1970s-and-beyond/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [In my opinion, the battles over birth control and Planned Parenthood are primarily neither political nor religious. This is an issue of equality for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/in-my-opinion-the-battles-over-birth-control-and-planned-parenthood/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [In chamber music, the audience can hear each instrument and understand (and feel) what the composer and the musicians have in mind as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/in-chamber-music-the-audience-can-hear-each-instrument-and-understand/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [If a woman makes a unilateral decision to bring pregnancy to term, and the biological father does not, and cannot, share in this decision,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/if-a-woman-makes-a-unilateral-decision-to-bring-pregnancy-to-term-and/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [Just as the Supreme Court has said that women have the right to choose whether or not to be parents, men should also have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/just-as-the-supreme-court-has-said-that-women-have-the-right-to/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [The Metropolitan Opera, of course, is the gold standard in opera. The Met experience includes the huge stage, the vast audience, the elaborate sets.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/the-metropolitan-opera-of-course-is-the-gold-standard-in-opera-the/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [Daddy was hilarious. He could take the most mundane event and tell it so that we all on the floor laughing. He trained me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/daddy-was-hilarious-he-could-take-the-most-mundane-event-and-tell-it/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [The irony is that the more we fight age, the more it shows. Paint on a 50-year-old face brings to mind a Gilbert and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/the-irony-is-that-the-more-we-fight-age-the-more-it-shows-paint-on-a/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [The censors have always had a field day with James Joyce, specifically with 'Ulysses,' but also with his other writings. The conventional wisdom is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/the-censors-have-always-had-a-field-day-with-james-joyce-specifically/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [Knowing constitutional law helps one at the opera. The trial in 'Billy Budd,' as example, invokes the fugitive slave clause of the U.S. Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/knowing-constitutional-law-helps-one-at-the-opera-the-trial-in-billy/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [We should cease thinking about men as the enemy of children and women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/we-should-cease-thinking-about-men-as-the-enemy-of-children-and-women/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [I was running for mayor of Syracuse - the first woman to run for mayor in our city, or in New York, and one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/i-was-running-for-mayor-of-syracuse-the-first-woman-to-run-for-mayor/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [Is it a recent occurrence that women have tried to control when and if they reproduced? Absolutely not. By 2000 B.C., there was worldwide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/is-it-a-recent-occurrence-that-women-have-tried-to-control-when-and/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

[Explore all 52 Karen DeCrow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

## More Color quotes

> [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/)

[Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/)

> [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

> [The color of somebody's skin or the way he wears his hair or clothes has nothing to do with anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-color-of-somebody-s-skin-or-the-way-he-wears-his-hair-or-clothes/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> ['Lovecraft Country' is reclaiming all these pulp genres for people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/lovecraft-country-is-reclaiming-all-these-pulp-genres-for-people-of/)

[Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/)

> [When I haven't any blue I use red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/when-i-haven-t-any-blue-i-use-red/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [If you're white and you're wrong, then you're wrong; if you're black and you're wrong, you're wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/if-you-re-white-and-you-re-wrong-then-you-re-wrong-if-you-re-black/)

[Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/)

> [Today, at Harvard, any student with the currently fashionable color of skin is given rights denied to students of the currently unfashionable color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-capp/today-at-harvard-any-student-with-the-currently-fashionable-color-of/)

[Al Capp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-capp/)

> [Orange is my favorite color overall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/orange-is-my-favorite-color-overall/)

[Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/)

> [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [We have to keep in practice like musicians. Besides, there are still potentialities to be realized in color film. To us, it's just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/we-have-to-keep-in-practice-like-musicians-besides-there-are-still/)

[Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/)

> [Truth needs no color; beauty, no pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/truth-needs-no-color-beauty-no-pencil/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

[Browse all 5,594 Color quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that minority set-aside programs in municipal contracts were unconstitutional. The court wondered if there were proof that people of color even want to receive municipal contracts.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Karen DeCrow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that-minority-set-aside-programs/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Color"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that-minority-set-aside-programs/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/karen-decrow-12907_color_in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that_2262518.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/karen-decrow-12907_color_in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that_2262518.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/karen-decrow-12907_color_in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that_2262518.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that minority set-aside programs in municipal contracts were…” — Karen DeCrow",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Karen DeCrow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that-minority-set-aside-programs/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that-minority-set-aside-programs/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
