U.S. supreme court poised to review civil rights laws

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: San Francisco Sentinel

The Supreme Court has an opportunity to reaffirm or reshape the nation’s civil rights laws as it faces a rare confluence of cases over the next two weeks, including a high-profile challenge brought by white firefighters who claim they lost out on promotions because of the “color of their skin.”

The cases also touch on the Voting Rights Act, the need to provide English classes for immigrant children and, more tangentially, discriminatory mortgage lending.

The most emotionally charged case is from the New Haven, Connecticut, firefighters, whose complaints define the real-life quandary that sometimes accompanies government efforts to ensure racial equality.

The firefighters accuse city officials of violating civil rights laws and the Constitution by throwing out a promotions test on which they performed well but no blacks scored high enough to be eligible. The city responds that relying on test results with such wide racial discrepancies could have violated federal law and left them open to being sued by minorities.

The court will hear the arguments, along with the others, in the midst of an evolving national conversation about the role of race and diversity and in the wake of the historic presidential election.


Read more: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=23454

[merwin]

1. Am I alone in thinking that firefighters should be promoted based on their test results and

their work history? Both of those are measurable items.

[-..__...]

3. Not at all.

As a professional firefighter of 24 years, I think New Havens promotional practices are a disgrace to the profession and look forward to seeing the city get slapped down.

[merwin]

5. If I get stuck in a burning building someday,

i want the best to come and get me out, not some random person who some department head thought would get him some equality kudos.

Personally, I think that affermative action is a crock of shit. It is sad that employers have to be forced to not discriminate by forcing them to discriminate. Makes no sense.

[No Elephants]

2. Almost every case this accursed court decides is a dagger in my heart.

[primavera]

4. Yep, be afraid, be very afraid

With the Federalist Society's Hitlerjungend in the majority now, you can rest assured that any ruling this court produces will be contrary to the interests of justice.