Earlier this year I told you about a case called Ricci v. DeStefano. The fire department in New Haven, Connecticut, threw out the results of a promotions test because no blacks scored high enough to qualify for promotions. In other words, white firefighters (over a dozen) and two hispanics who qualified were denied promotions because of their race.
Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the firefighters and against New Haven. (Also see video)
Sonia Sotomayor, Barack Obama’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, was one of the judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit who sided with New Haven. In other words, she ruled against the firefighters denied promotions because of skin color.
A developing meme is that the Supreme Court reversed Sotomayor. Will it make a difference during confirmation hearings? I’m not hopeful Sotomayor-reversed will generate much steam. I doubt Republicans have the heart to grill Sotomayor the way they should. They’re not of stout heart.
For a little light reading, download the 93-page opinion. (PDF)
