On Jan. 12, the American Alliance for Equal Rights sued McDonald's over the HACER program. The alliance, which challenges programs that use race or ethnicity as a factor in their decisions, is run by Edward Blum, the conservative activist who also successfully challenged affirmative action programs in college admissions.
On Friday, McDonald’s said it reached a settlement with the American Alliance for Equal Rights that will allow it to consider this year’s applicants. The Chicago company said more than 3,000 students have already applied for this year's scholarships.
McDonald’s said the program will now be open to any student who can demonstrate an impact on or commitment to the Latino community. Applicants no longer need to have at least one Latino parent.