The internship had been reserved for "Latina, Latino, and Latinx-identifying undergraduate students." In February, the American Alliance for Equal Rights sued the museum, which explores Hispanic-American history and is located in Washington, D.C., alleging that the program violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.

Rather than fight the lawsuit, the museum agreed to open the internship to all races. It changed the scoring rubric used to evaluate applicants, telling reviewers that they "should not give preference or restrict selection based on race or ethnicity," and added similar language to the museum’s website.