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Essay Instructions: Civil Rights Assignment
Many American cities try to keep the appearance of politics and favoritism out of their human resources decisions by using standardized written tests to decide who gets promoted when promotions are available in the city's workforce. In 2003, the New Haven, Connecticut, Fire Department conducted a test for promotion to lieutenant and captain. 118 firefighters took the test, but when the city found that white firefighters made the ten highest scores, and would fill all eight vacant positions, the city decided to discard the test results on the grounds that they must have been racially biased.

The firefighters who passed the test argued that, in being passed over for a promotion to which they were entitled, they were discriminated against because of their race - a violation of The Civil Rights Act of 1964. The City of New Haven argued that accepting the test results would have been discrimination - given the discriminatory result of promoting only white firefighters.

Find a U.S. Supreme Court case called Ricci v. DeStefano, which was decided in June, 2009.

Write an essay explaining the facts pertaining to this case. Explain the views of both parties to this case, and the reasoning behind the court's decision. Explain why one justice wrote a concurring opinion, and what he said in his. Explain why one justice (joined by three colleagues) issued a dissenting opinion, and summarize her dissent. Finally, tell me how you would rule on this case if you were a member of the Supreme Court.

I like the Cornell University Law School website for Supreme Court research, but you can use any of the sources mentioned in the directions for the civil liberties assignment, or any others that you find on your own.

Submit this assignment in Microsoft Word. Cite your sources.

Resources you may use:

Oyez has a great summary to get you started: http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2008/2008_07_1428

The Supreme Court's Scotuswiki has a wealth of information on this case: http://www.scotuswiki.com/index.php?title=Ricci%2C_et_al._v._DeStefano%2C_et_al.

The Wall Street Journal called the court's decision "an important step in the right direction:" http://online.wsj.com/article/SB.html

The New York Times called it a "blow to diversity:"http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/opinion/01wed1.html?_r=1&ref=

Essay Instructions: * Civil Rights and Society: U.S. and Global Perspectives*


Note: The first question is required All the answers can be formulated thru the Internet,class discussions, magazine and newspaper articles which have been given out in class and your own ideas.


Question 1: You have just been elected the President of the Federated Republic of Rio Grande Do Sul, a country rich in both mineral and agricultural resources and is embarking on industrialization and has began making inroads into the international global marketplace and becoming a major
player in the region. You have to present to the Rio Grande Do Sul Congress a basic plan that lays out the groundwork for the country''s political, social and economic future. The following factors must be taken into account while preparing the plan:


* Your country has been under a right wing military dictatorship for 20 years and the current elected government which took over from the military 8 years ago is oriented towards the right of center with a majority of its'' members
from a small political and business elite (note you are considered an "outsider" because most of your support came from the left of the political spectrum, i.e. the working poor and the alienated);

* Your supporters who until now have been "left out" of the system, are now demanding to get the "fruits" of the system, i.e. universal health care, education, low cost housing, jobs with a future, decent farm land and control of their destiny and a country free from outside forces both political and economic;

* The country''s economics is ruled by a small elite with ties to the international multi-corporations and financial institutions and the U.S. and see you as a threat because of your "revolutionary ideas" even though you have moderated them which have now created some friction within your supporters (note: it is one thing to be the "outsider looking in" but quite another to be the "insider looking out");

* To counter you before you even take office, the congress has passed legislation which severely limits your ability to govern which their consent, i.e. in the areas of appointments, policy changes, and legislative initiatives etc. Without radical changes, the country will remain in the status quo and your supporters resentment will "boil over", and too much change will alienate the middle class,
the business leadership and the power elite. Thus your plan must be able to placate all sides.

Essay Instructions: The material for this essay will be found in chapters 11,12,13, and 14 . Many historians think it was inevitable that the North would win the Civil War. It is true that the North had many advantages, but the South had almost equally as many advantages. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both sides and indicate what the South had to do in order to win. Why was the North the victor when the South had better military leadership?

Essay Instructions: Describe the Civil Service processes as they relate to police agencies within Iowa. Research should be focused on the Civil Service laws within the Stae of Iowa, how they impact police departments in hiring, promotional and/or termination of their employees; subject to the "due process" considerations within the State Code of Iowa.

Thank you!