A question on discrimination suits against fire departments

Could someone please explain this to me. If, according to a federal judge, the mere fact of racially disparate outcomes in a New York City firemen’s test administered between 1999 and 2002 proves racial discrimination under the 1964 Civil Rights Act (see Steve Sailer’s discussion of the recent decision), then how can ANY of the tests used in New York City over the decades have passed muster? I remember in the 1980s there was an epic, ongoing case against the NYC Fire Department over this very issue. I don’t remember how it was resolved. Clearly the issue wasn’t resolved satisfactorily from the point of view of the blacks and liberals, since the Fire Department has continued to hire very few blacks. So what tests were in place between the 1980s and 1999? Were they thrown out, too? And what is the situation in every fire department in America in cities with large black populations? Presumably most of those fire departments have few blacks. How have any of the hiring tests used by these thousands of cities passed federal muster? Why is just one test in New York City between 1999 and 2002 the issue?

Posted by Lawrence Auster at July 29, 2009 10:04 AM | Send