Box. 3.4: Making the Case Against and for Affirmative Action: Eighteen White firefighters, including one Hispanic, sued the City of New Haven claiming racial discrimination. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case in 2009 and in a dramatic ruling declared the white firefighters were unfairly denied promotion because of their race, making this:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The case of the white firefighters being denied promotion due to their race falls under the category of reserve discrimination, which is a type of affirmative action. Affirmative action programs aim to address past discrimination and promote diversity by providing advantages to traditionally disadvantaged groups, such as people of color, women, and individuals with disabilities. In this case, the firefighters who were not promoted were replaced with individuals of color who scored lower on the promotion exam, which was deemed discriminatory against white firefighters. The Supreme Court ruling invalidated the city's use of race in promotion decisions, but also raised questions about the legality and fairness of affirmative action programs overall.

Box 34: Making the Case Against and for Affirmative Action: Eighteen