A Firefighter Finally Gets What He Deserves

Hans von Spakovsky / August 18, 2010

It’s an unfortunate truth about Washington: Those who decide the great issues of the day seldom see the practical results of their legislative or judicial handiwork.

Court decisions almost always involve lofty discussions of constitutional rights, legal theory, and precedent. So it was last year when the Supreme Court upheld the racial discrimination claims filed by 20 white and Hispanic firefighters in Ricci v. Stefano. These firefighters had outscored black firefighters in lieutenant and captain examinations, which prompted the City of New Haven, Conn., to throw out the results and deny them promotions.

The firefighters then waged an expensive, six year fight to get the promotions they had earned, promotions that Judge Sonia Sotomayor did not want to give them. When she sat on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, she saw no problem with the blatant racial discrimination practiced by New Haven. Fortunately, the Supreme Court disagreed with her assessment. (more…)