Venture Fund Wins Round One in Anti-Affirmative Action Lawsuit

The conservative activist behind the lawsuit that led to a landmark US Supreme Court ruling ending university affirmative action lost his initial challenge Tuesday to a venture capital foundation’s grant program for businesses run by Black women.

Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. ruled in favor of Fearless Fund, denying a preliminary injunction request by the American Alliance for Equal Rights, a group backed by Edward Blum. Blum, who brought his successful case against Harvard University through a different organization, has already appealed.

The dispute is part of a backlash to diversity initiatives across the corporate world that has gained ...