Supreme Court Expected to Reverse Sotomayor's Ruling in New Haven Case

The Los Angeles Times reports that in a decision "that could fuel controversy over Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, the high court this month is expected to overrule one of her key appellate court rulings." Sotomayor was "part of a three-judge panel that, in a two-paragraph opinion, rejected an appeal by white firefighters from New Haven., Conn., who contended that they were victims of racial discrimination when they were denied promotions." The ruling "in the firefighters' case promises to be one of the most important of the Supreme Court term because it could affect public agencies across the nation."

USA Today reports the "most attention-grabbing case" of Sotomayor's "began when a Connecticut city rejected the results of a firefighter-promotion test because whites outscored blacks and Hispanics." In the case, "likely to be a hot-button issue at her confirmation hearings, city officials said they tossed the 2003 test results fearing bias lawsuits from minorities who did not qualify for elevation. Sotomayor endorsed New Haven's action. The terse opinion she joined appeared to minimize the significance of the 'reverse discrimination' claim from white firefighters denied promotions."