[JURIST] A federal judge has dismissed [order, PDF] a discrimination lawsuit filed against a gun store owner that deemed his store a “Muslim Free Zone.” Judge Beth Bloom of the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida [official website] said in her order that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) [advocacy website], the organization that brought the lawsuit, “insufficiently alleged imminent harm.” She further stated, “[t]here are simply no facts grounding the assertion that Plaintiff (CAIR) and/or one of its constituents will be harmed.” Owner of the Florida Gun Supply, Andy Hallinan, said that he had never sold guns to Muslims at his stores because they had never tried to buy them there. He said that the evidence clearly showed that he did not discriminate. Hallinan gained notoriety over the summer when he posted a video [YouTube video] online declaring his store Muslim-free. CAIR Florida Executive Director Hassan Shibly sees this ruling as a positive outcome, as the judge indicated that no Muslims were affected because no Muslims have attempted to purchase anything from the store. Once someone does, Shibly says Hallinan should be held liable.

Racial discrimination continues to be a serious issue throughout the US. Earlier this month a judge for the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled [JURIST report] that the method used by the Boston Police Department to promote sergeants to the rank of lieutenant had a disparate impact on minorities. Also this month the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments [JURIST report] on racial discrimination in the jury selection process. Last month a federal judge in Hawaii ruled [JURIST report] that a Native Hawaiian election, which many opponents believed was racially discriminatory, could take place. Also in October, California Governor Jerry Brown, signed a bill [JURIST report] aimed at protecting minorities from racial profiling and excessive use of force by police.