Nearly 66% of Lincolnites voted in May to ban housing discrimination based on a renter or buyer‘s source of income
| ***For Immediate Release*** March 3, 2026 Contact: |
| Sierra Salgado Pirigyi Communications Director Nebraska Appleseed Office: 402-438-8853 x116 sierrasp@neappleseed.org |
LINCOLN, NE – In September 2025, a group of landlords filed a lawsuit to challenge Lincoln’s recently-enacted ban on housing discrimination based on a renter or buyer‘s source of income. Nebraska Appleseed, on behalf of two clients that receive Section 8 housing vouchers, filed a Complaint seeking to intervene in the case to defend the ordinance. The group of landlords asked the Court to dismiss our Complaint, but yesterday, the Court overruled their motion, which will allow our clients to be heard.
The landlords’ lawsuit seeks to invalidate the Lincoln for Fair Housing ordinance, which passed with 66% of the vote in Lincoln’s May election. The voter-approved ordinance, which went into effect soon after the election, adopts city-wide source-of-income protections by prohibiting landlords and property managers from turning away tenants based solely on how they pay rent.
Nebraska Appleseed filed a petition to intervene to protect our clients’ interests in the enforcement of the duly enacted city ordinance.
Kasey Ogle, Nebraska Appleseed’s Housing Justice Sr. Staff Attorney, issued the following statement in response:
“Undoing source of income protections would have dire consequences for our clients and for countless Lincolnites. We are pleased that our clients have been allowed to participate in this lawsuit to protect their interests in discrimination-free housing.
The Lincoln For Fair Housing ballot initiative was a people-powered ordinance with broad support from Lincolnites across our city that reflected a shared belief that we all deserve a fair chance at home. No Lincolnite should be turned away from housing just because of how they pay.”
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