Civil Rights: The Ricci V. Destefano Case Essay

Civil Rights:

The Ricci v. DeStefano case is a U.S. Supreme Court case that was decided in June, 2009 and raises concerns regarding the steps employers may take in situations where the avoidance of discrimination against one group may imply discrimination against another group. This case has attracted huge public concern that has resulted in various arguments that have been raised either in support or opposition of the Supreme Court's decision on this case. In one section, the decision by the Supreme Court in Ricci v. DeStefano is considered as very good news since it clearly and decisively demonstrated that the employment law only rarely allows quotas to solve racial imbalance. Therefore, the Supreme Court was implying that most racial preferences were mainly covered in dishonesty and secrecy. On the contrary, the court's decision in this case is viewed as a major blow to diversity in the United States workplace.

The origin of this case can be traced back to 2003 when the City of New Haven, Connecticut administered written tests in attempts to find employee for the vacant captain and lieutenant positions in its Fire Department. The tests were to contribute to 60% of the eventual evaluation of a candidate's ability to effectively serve as a lieutenant or captain.The remaining percentage of a person's assessment was made up of an oral examination testing the ability of the candidate to lead others in emergency situations (McConnell & Pierre par, 8). During the analysis of the results of the written tests, New Haven officials discovered that the pass rate for black candidates was nearly half the pass rate for white candidates. Based on the requirements by New Haven's City Charter, the highest scoring black candidates for the lieutenant and captain positions were thirteenth and fifteenth respectively.

The issue was later referred to the New Haven's Civil Service Board, which was eventually deadlocked on whether to certify depending on the test results after hearing evidence about the test results. The deadlock resulted in the inability of the board to certify any list of eligible candidates. As eligible candidates for immediate promotion, Frank Ricci and other firefighters filed a lawsuit against John DeStefano, New Haven's City major, and other city officials. The case was based on Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act for alleged violation of the clause on Equal Protection.

As the Supreme Court provided certiorari on the consolidated cases at the beginning of 2009, the Ricci….....