Over a dozen white firefighters and one Hispanic scored high enough on a promotions exam to qualify for promotions. Because no blacks scored high enough to qualify, however, the city threw out everyone’s test results for fear of disparate impact lawsuits. The Supreme Court called foul and said the move was unconstitutional.
Last week, the firefighters requested promotions, and black firefighters tried to block them. Despite the Supreme Court’s decision, they contended, they still had the right to challenge the test’s validity.
Maybe so, but in the meantime, New Haven must promote 14 qualifying firefighters. Six will become captains, and eight will become lieutenants.
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