The Department of Defense has apparently suspended all 8(a) contract awards under the Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Acquisition Center in the wake of a federal court decision issued earlier this month.

In a press release, leaders of the Native American Contractors Association and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce blasted the DoD for overreaching in response to Dynalantic Corporation v. United States, No. 95-2301 (2012), in which the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the constitutionality of the 8(a) Program as a general matter, but found that the 8(a) Program was unconstitutional as applied to the plaintiff’s specific industry, military simulation and training.

I’ll have much more on Dynatlantic and the fallout from the court’s decision after the Labor Day weekend.  Unfortunately, for 8(a) companies–especially those doing business with DoD– the holiday weekend begins on a very ominous note.