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Charles Krauthammer: The Meaning of Ricci
Real Clear Politics ^ | July 3, 2009 | Charles Krauthammer

Posted on 07/02/2009 9:59:12 PM PDT by kellynla

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court's ruling on the Ricci case -- that white firemen suffered illegal discrimination when a promotional test on which they did well was thrown out because not enough blacks did well -- will have no effect on Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court. While overturned on Ricci, she is protected by the four dissenting justices who upheld the side of the case she had taken as a Circuit Court judge. Sotomayor was additionally helped by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's insistence on reading her dissent from the bench, as if to emphasize the legitimacy of her position -- and, by implication, Sotomayor's.

Ricci left Sotomayor relatively unscathed. But not affirmative action. Ricci raised the bar considerably on overt discrimination against one racial group simply to undo the unintentionally racially skewed results of otherwise fair and objective employment procedures (in this case, examinations).

It's not enough for a city to say, as did New Haven, that it was afraid of being sued by black firefighters. The evidence was irrefutable that the tests were put together in a conscientious, race-neutral way. Not only were minority firefighters over-sampled in devising the questions. The designers established nine oral exam boards, each a three-person panel, each consisting of precisely one white, one black and one Hispanic. (Such is the extreme race consciousness that the Civil Rights Act, of all things, has brought upon us.) Nor will it do, as New Haven tried, to throw out a test on the pretext that another test with less racial impact might theoretically exist out there in the ether.

(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: krauthammer; ricci; sotomayor; supremecourt
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1 posted on 07/02/2009 9:59:12 PM PDT by kellynla
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To: kellynla

If four political hacks — who happen to be Supreme Court Justices — will stand up for your clearly extralegal opinions, then you’re still in the judicial mainstream.


2 posted on 07/02/2009 10:04:46 PM PDT by AZLiberty (Yes, Mr. Lennon, I do want a revolution.)
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To: kellynla

“Ricci left Sotomayor relatively unscathed.”

We’ll see. Sotomayor is the most unqualified candidate for SCOTUS in American history.


3 posted on 07/02/2009 10:11:39 PM PDT by stephenjohnbanker (Pray for, and support our troops(heroes) !! And vote out the RINO's!!)
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To: stephenjohnbanker

Doesn’t matter. As Zero infamously once said ‘I trump you on that. I won’. We have no power to rein in the excessive power grab of the Dem-Socialists. More’s the pity.


4 posted on 07/02/2009 10:15:33 PM PDT by originalbuckeye
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To: kellynla

The scumbag New Haven politicians were afraid of being sued, huh? I hope these firefighters sue the city’s brains out, and the scumbag politicians individually as well.


5 posted on 07/02/2009 10:24:05 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: AZLiberty

We are one vote away from complete abandonment of the US Constitution.
Pray for the health of the five civilized humans on that court.


6 posted on 07/02/2009 10:26:22 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: kellynla

Krauthammer is really off his game today. He is wrong as all 9 Justices voted to reverse her. 5 found for the firefighters, 4 wanted to remand it to the lower courts. Also it remains to be seen how this affects her confirmation.


7 posted on 07/02/2009 10:31:46 PM PDT by JLS
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To: kellynla

Just how are these exams “racially biased”?


8 posted on 07/02/2009 10:34:19 PM PDT by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck. (Let them eat arugula!))
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To: Eagles6

They require one to read..


9 posted on 07/02/2009 11:39:02 PM PDT by sheik yerbouty ( Make America and the world a jihad free zone!)
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To: Eagles6
Any exam that fails to take the 15 point IQ gap into account is racist.
After all, it's just not fair to hold blacks up to the same standards as whites.
10 posted on 07/03/2009 12:56:50 AM PDT by ComputerGuy (Williams/Sowell 2012 -or- Sowell/Williams 2012)
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To: JLS
He is wrong as all 9 Justices voted to reverse her.

I think the intent was to point out that none of the nine directly supported the Ricci opinion from the lower court. Even a "remand" is a "non-concurrence" with the case decision as it was presented. Therefore, in the basic sense of judicial actions, all nine did "reverse" the finding of the lower court.
11 posted on 07/03/2009 3:53:40 AM PDT by Lucky Dog
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To: stephenjohnbanker

What did you (or for that matter, any Right thinking American) expect?

She was nominated by the most unqualified POTUS in American history.


12 posted on 07/03/2009 4:33:40 AM PDT by Taxman (So that the beautiful pressure does not diminish!)
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To: Eagles6

I would like to know how they the supposed masters of equality can make racial identification, expecially since it supposed to be a social construct?


13 posted on 07/03/2009 12:35:11 PM PDT by junta (I am the son of Yacub, who for one welcomes my new overlord Obama.)
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To: sheik yerbouty

Ahh. And apparently logic is a White thing.


14 posted on 07/03/2009 6:01:40 PM PDT by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck. (Let them eat arugula!))
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To: ComputerGuy

Apparently not.


15 posted on 07/03/2009 6:02:46 PM PDT by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck. (Let them eat arugula!))
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To: junta

Only White, Christian heterosexuals are not allowed to do that.


16 posted on 07/03/2009 6:04:19 PM PDT by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck. (Let them eat arugula!))
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To: Eagles6
..and apparently logic..etc..
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Add common sense to that mix (apparently).
I worked for a former NFL/Okla State Football player and asked him a ‘logical’ question that really buzzed him off...

Q. You went to school on a football scholarship, and got drafted into the NFL in a high round. I am not denying your hard work to reach the NFL etc, but in the same age group, I was out playing sailor while your signing bonus was more than I earned in my 8+ yr USN stint. Explain to me why your children are ‘disadvantaged’ and mine are 'privliged'. Naturally our relations were 'strained' after that.

17 posted on 07/03/2009 6:18:57 PM PDT by xrmusn
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To: Eagles6
Just how are these exams “racially biased”?

By accurately discriminating between morons and normal people.

18 posted on 07/03/2009 6:21:39 PM PDT by Stentor
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To: xrmusn

Good one!


19 posted on 07/03/2009 7:31:52 PM PDT by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck. (Let them eat arugula!))
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To: kellynla; All

If you and your family are in a burning building with only minutes to live, who do you want in charge of your rescue, the best man for the job or the best black man who got to his position only by affirmative action?


20 posted on 07/03/2009 7:37:43 PM PDT by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck. (Let them eat arugula!))
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