'The Bachelor' race discrimination lawsuit dismissed

A judge in Tennessee has ruled that The Bachelor producers don't have to cast black people on the show if they don't want to. A lawsuit filed by two men who claimed they were rejected from the show because of the color of their skin was dismissed.

The judge cited the 1st Amendment (Freedom of Speech) where the court cannot tell TV producers who to cast in a show.

From TMZ:

A judge has THROWN OUT a lawsuit that two black men filed against "The Bachelor" ... in which they claimed they were rejected from the show based on the color of their skin.

In the original suit, the men pointed out that every bachelor in the show's history has been white -- and claim producers intentionally stayed away from people of color because they feared an interracial relationship would alienate the show's "predominantly white viewership."

But a Tennessee judge has officially dismissed the case -- citing the 1st Amendment (Freedom of Speech) ... and explaining that the court cannot tell TV producers ... or movie producers ... or playwrights ... how to cast a production.

In fact, the judge explains that Freedom of Speech is why "The Cosby Show" could have an all-black cast ... why "Jersey Shore" can cast all-Italians ... and why "Shahs of Sunset" can cast all-Persians.