|
|
"A collaborative political resource." |
Reverse Discrimination at the High Court
|
| Parent(s) |
Race
-
|
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Edited | RP May 02, 2009 02:17pm |
| Category | Legal Ruling |
| News Date | Apr 20, 2009 02:00pm |
| Description | Issue: Can local lawmakers—concerned with violating civil rights laws—set aside the results of a civil service exam because a disproportionate number of minority test-takers failed to score high enough to merit promotions?
Background: This racially-charged reverse discrimination case is the first significant affirmative action case to reach the high court in several years. It is also highlights the new Obama Administration's view of the subject and exposes to criticism the decision reached by appellate court judge Sonia Sotomayor, one of the people often mentioned as someone President Obama could select for a seat on the Supreme Court.
2003 was promotions time for the New Haven, Conn. Fire Department. The city hired an outside agency to fairly administer a test to the firefighters looking for advancement. The test was designed to identify the best candidates in a manner that was as racially unbiased as possible. When the results were calculated, no African-American firefighters scored well enough on the test to earn the bump in title or salary. City leaders concerned over lawsuits that could come from acting on the test's racially disparate results scuttled them and promoted no one. |
| Article | Read Article |
|
|
