&gt; What makes non-whites deserving of protection from bad laws but non-medallion owners undeserving?<p>In the United States, this question is answered by Federal Laws which define Protected Classes [0].<p>Non-medallion owners are not a protected class (yet) according to US Federal Law.<p>[0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Protected_class" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Protected_class</a><p>EDIT: provide link