Chicopee John Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 High court hears reverse discrimination arguments By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer Mark Sherman, Associated Press Writer – Wed Apr 22, 3:14 am ET WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court is weighing whether a Connecticut city's decision to scrap a promotion exam for firefighters because too few minorities passed violates the civil rights of top-scoring white applicants. The justices are hearing arguments Wednesday in a case from New Haven, Conn., that has the potential to change hiring practices nationwide. The court also was expected to issue opinions in cases argued earlier this term. The firefighters' dispute is one of two major civil rights cases on the court's calendar in the next two weeks. The other deals with a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. Underlying both cases are broader questions about racial progress and the ongoing need for legal protections from discrimination for minorities, especially after the election of President Barack Obama. The discrimination lawsuit brought by 20 white firefighters — one also is Hispanic — challenges New Haven's decision to throw out promotion exams for lieutenants and captains in its fire department. The city argues that if it had gone ahead with the promotions based on the test results, it would have risked a lawsuit claiming that the exams had a "disparate impact" on minorities in violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The federal appeals court in New York upheld a lower court ruling dismissing the lawsuit. The case has drawn input from interest groups across the ideological spectrum. The Obama administration has weighed in mainly on the city's side, although it recommends allowing the lawsuit to proceed on a limited basis. Business interests also have lined up behind New Haven, worrying that a decision in favor of the white firefighters would place employers in an untenable position of having to choose whether to face lawsuits from disgruntled white or minority workers. The consolidated cases are Ricci v. DeStefano, 07-1428, and Ricci v. DeStefano, 08-328.[/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Fan Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 Interesting. I'm shocked that they'll hear the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 It's excellent that they will hear it ! Discrimination in ANY form is wrong. The reverse discrimination policies have given some folks the idea that all they have to do is rely on their minority status to get a job, etc. That was a huge, huge mistake. Causes many other problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. T Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 This happens in many areas, just look at how the SAT & ACT scoring has been changed. FUBAR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aloysius Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 What's wrong with the SAT? Last I checked, rich white kids were still getting into college. And anyone who's got one of the top test prep books can figure out how to improve their scores - those aren't just accessible to minority students. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mz. Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 T's still bitter he didn't get into Yale all those years ago........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Fan Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 This happens in many areas, just look at how the SAT & ACT scoring has been changed. FUBAR You mean with the addition of the writing sample? Huge advantage for minorities & others with English as a 2nd language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. T Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 You mean with the addition of the writing sample? Huge advantage for minorities & others with English as a 2nd language. el ensayo que escribí en mi prueba fue basado en el gato y el sombrero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHardBrownsFan Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 I hope the Supreme Court overrules the ruling in favor of the people suing. This is a travesty of justice. Don't promote because no black scored high enough? Plain and simple discrimination, no if, ands or buts about it. Score high enough to get promoted, end of story. In the military you don't see this kind of bullshit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHardBrownsFan Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 You mean with the addition of the writing sample? Huge advantage for minorities & others with English as a 2nd language. Roll your eyes all you want to son. Go and clean some teeth or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicopee John Posted April 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 >>The reverse discrimination policies have given some folks the idea that all they have to do is rely on their minority status to get a job, etc.>> The travesty is that this isn't even about getting a job. It's about the ability to achieve to the extent that you are ready (and capable) of more responsibility, qualified to manage others, etc. Also, I found it interesting that a number of businesses hope the case isn't overturned because it will complicate their selection process. Now they can simply promote minorities without worry. However, if they can't simply pick a minority, how will they make a decision. These types of nuances are nothing but a can of worms. I cannot understand how anybody can agree with the decision made by the City of New Haven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted April 23, 2009 Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 We know a teacher, who got her degree and worked for a long while as an assistant to teachers and special needs kids. She was outstandingly qualifed to get a job in the same district. And she did. She is a terrific educator. But, she was eventually sued, because she got the job and this guy didn't. She's white. He's black. He sued because he didn't get the job because of discrimination. He wasn't even certified and had no experience. He lost the suit, but did get another job in the district sometime later. Just as racial discrimination should never have existed, the inverse should never have been seen as a fix. It just breached the fairness in the interest of solving a problem and instigated more racial division. The idea should have been, stop ALL racial discrimination NOW. er... back THEN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westside Steve Posted April 23, 2009 Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 >>The reverse discrimination policies have given some folks the idea that all they have to do is rely on their minority status to get a job, etc.>> These types of nuances are nothing but a can of worms. I cannot understand how anybody can agree with the decision made by the City of New Haven. Not to mention that I'd personally be insulted if there were a program that gave perks to a minority I was part of just because I'd have to spend my entire career knowing other's would think I might not have gotten that position through merit. WSS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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