Law, Business and Society 11th Edition by Tony McAdams

Exercise 50

In 1974, Birmingham, Alabama, was accused of unlawfully excluding blacks from management roles in its fire department. After several years of litigation, Birmingham adopted an affirmative action plan that guaranteed black firefighters one of every two available promotions. The city, the Justice Department, and others applauded the arrangement, but a group of 14 white firefighters claimed they were victims of reverse discrimination. After years of wrangling, the white firefighters' claim reached the 11th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals. Was the affirmative action plan lawful Explain. See In re Birmingham Reverse Discrimination Employment Litig., 20 F.3d 1525 (11th Cir. 1994) cert. den. sub nom.; Martin v. Wilks, 115 S.Ct. 1695 (1995).