The U.S. Supreme Court appeared split today as it heard arguments on whether federal law bans discrimination against whites.The case was brought by 20 white firefighters in New Haven, Conn. -- including one white Hispanic -- whose passing scores on a promotion test were thrown out because no blacks passed. Any eventual decision by the Supreme Court could decide the long-term fate of affirmative action in the United States.
Justice Anthony Kennedy appeared sympathetic to the suing firefighters, USA Today reported. Kennedy is often the swing vote on the nine-member court between the four justice liberal bloc and the four justice conservative bloc. From the bench, Kennedy said the city would have to show a compelling reason for throwing out the test results.
The 2003 exam was designed to select 15 candidates for captain and lieutenant. When no blacks and only one Hispanic scored a passing grade, the city decided not to use the results for promotions, saying it did not want exposure to suits from blacks and Hispanics.
A decision is expected later this year. New Haven is a racially mixed city. About 44 percent of its residents are White, 37 percent are Black, and 21 percent are Latino. CNN has more.
Tags: Supreme Court, Law, Civil Right, Reversed Discrimination, Education by Sistrunk
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