A federal judge has blocked a Colorado agency from distributing pandemic relief funds based on the color of an applicant’s skin. The temporary restraining order from Denver-based U.S. District Judge William J. Martinez came late Oct. 12, less than a week after plaintiff Stephen E. Collins, a white man, and his event-planning business, Resort Meeting Source, sued the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) for what Collins’ attorney previously called a “racially discriminatory program.” The program gives a preference to minority applicants. The defendant, Patrick Meyers, is being sued in his official capacity as executive director of OEDIT. After acknowledging in the 11-page order that “Collins is the Caucasian owner and sole proprietor of Resort Meeting Source,” Martinez, an Obama appointee, found based on what he called the “admittedly limited record” before him that the plaintiffs have “a substantial likelihood of success on the merits.” “This Temporary …