HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A federal judge has ruled that race-based portions of contracting programs used by the City of Houston and the Midtown Management District violate the U.S. Constitution, marking what attorneys involved in the case describe as a first-of-its-kind decision against the programs.

U.S. District Judge David Hittner ruled that the programs' provisions involving minority-owned businesses violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

"The decision held that the City of Houston and Midtown Management District's race-based contracting programs violate the 14th Amendment of the Equal Protection Clause," said Erin Wilcox, senior attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, which represented the plaintiffs.