The United States Supreme Court just ruled on a case concerning racial discrimination. However, in this instance, the case is described as reverse discrimination. These cases are becoming increasingly prevalent. White and Hispanic firefighters filed a lawsuit against the New Haven Fire Department citing racial discrimination regarding career promotions. Black firefighters who failed to score high enough on a written exam were granted promotions where their White and Hispanic colleagues who scored higher were not promoted. This is an instance where the fear of racial discrimination lawsuits drove the city to make a racially biased decisions. The Supreme Court ruled that the White and Hispanic workers should have received their promotions.
It is troubling that the city would decide to promote black firefighters who failed the written test over other firefighters who passed. However, there are logically reasons for them doing this. The environment created by affirmative action and racial discrimination lawsuits fueled the city’s decision. If the city based their promotions on the test results (which they should) no black firefighters would have been promoted. This could give the impression of racial discrimination where none existed. The city feared a discrimination lawsuit, so it based its promotion criteria on race. Not a wise decision, they got sued anyway.

We can expect more of these types of lawsuits. We have created an environment of hypersensitivity to race. The sensitivity to affirmative action policies and unnecessary discrimination lawsuits has fostered a racially based mindset. In some instances this is necessary. In this case, race should not have been considered. Racial diversity is a good thing. In some instances, diversity needs to be forced. Affirmative action was a solution to the lack of racial diversity in many instances, but in today’s society, the debate is growing over its necessity. If anything, the city’s actions have increased racial tensions.
There are many who believe the Supreme Court made the wrong decision. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. said
“Today’s narrow decision is likely to result in cutbacks on important protections for American families. It is less likely now that employers will conscientiously try to fulfill their obligations under this time-honored civil rights law. This is a cramped decision that threatens to erode these protections and to harm the efforts of state and local governments that want to build the most qualified workforces.”
I am confused by Leahy remarks, if the city promoted those who scored the highest on the test regardless of race, the city would be promoting the most qualified firefighters. What many politicians fail to realize, is that the Supreme Court decision concludes that no race should be ‘more’ protected from discrimination than any other.

The Supreme Court saved the New Haven fire department from a much more dangerous lawsuit. If people did lose their lives to a fire because the most qualified firefighters were not in a position they should have been, seriously damaging lawsuits would be filed and won. Controversies will continue to be raised concerning race. Racial quotas are in themselves racist, but they are prevalent throughout our society, documented or undocumented, they will continue to shape our workforce.