SCOTUS

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court set a new standard for employers' use of race in hiring decisions, ruling that New Haven, Conn., wrongly discriminated against a group of mostly white firefighters who lost out when a promotion exam was scrapped because no blacks scored well enough to advance.

Monday's opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy said employers must show a "strong basis in evidence" before ignoring results of employment-related tests -- even if they worry the outcome was unfair -- so as not to frustrate other applicants. The 5-4 decision, on the final day of the court's term, follows a series of Supreme Court rulings that limit the scope of policies intended to address racial bias.
The case, Ricci v. DeStefano, had been closely watched because the appeals court's preceding one-paragraph ruling came from a three-member panel that included Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama's nominee to succeed Justice David Souter. That now-defunct ruling is certain to feature heavily at her Senate confirmation hearings, scheduled to begin July 13. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124629050175468575.html

Kliphnote:

This was discrimination against white guys and it got

overturned by ONLY 5-4. The ones who scored highest on the test should be the ones to get the job, any job!

"Of the 19 firefighters who qualified for promotion, none were black and two were Hispanic." Who's fault is that no blacks qualified? Not the white guys fault!

These people are in a life saving position, I don't want someone who failed the test trying to save the life of my children or grand children. OMG what are these people thinking? Four of them thought it just fine for someone who failed the test to get the job over someone more qualified. Again this would be any job.

Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, Sotomayor agreed at the lower court.

Just what we don't need are more of Obama's people!

All the justices who voted in the majority are Conservative.

What would have happened if Al Gore or John Kerry had won?

Think 2nd amendment.

It is bad enough when they HAD to lower the standers for police, firefighters and teachers, now they want the totally unqualified.

Is it fine to discriminate against white guys but not against black guys?

Some would think so.

I just don't want to think what the US will look like in four years.