The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division (“DOJ”) intervened in a lawsuit today against the Missouri State High School Activities Association (“MSHSAA”), accusing MSHSAA of illegally classifying prospective board members on the base of race and sex. MSHSAA is a nonprofit association of schools that governs interscholastic competitions in Missouri. MSHSAA’s constitution provides that board members for at-large seats “shall be filled by a candidate representing the under-represented gender of the current Board, or an under-represented ethnicity.” Dr. Merlyn Johnson, a white male, sued MSHSAA after he was nominated for the board, and MSHSAA disqualified him because of his race and sex.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice