A key portion of a Seattle law meant to guard against housing discrimination is unconstitutional, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday, but it upheld other parts of the law.
The lawsuit took aim at Seattle's "Fair Chance Housing" ordinance, passed in 2017, which barred most landlords from asking prospective tenants about "any arrest record, conviction record or criminal history" or refusing to rent to tenants because of that history.
The law was meant to help people with criminal records access housing and to protect against policies that can disproportionately harm renters of color because of disparities in the legal system. It included several exemptions, including allowing landlords to refuse a tenant based on sex offender status.
