WASHINGTON (CNN) - The political response to the Supreme Court's overturning a ruling by the woman who could be its newest member was sharply divided, with Republicans supporting the ruling while Democrats criticized it.
In its last day in session this term, justices ruled by a 5-4 majority that the city of New Haven, Connecticut, improperly threw out the results of promotional exams that officials said left too few minorities qualified. A group of 20 mostly white firefighters sued, claiming "reverse discrimination."
Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who President Obama nominated last month to replace retiring Justice David Souter, and two other judges heard the case on their federal appeals court last year and sided with the city.
"I applaud the Supreme Court's decision to uphold equal rights for all and to strike down government decisions based on race," said Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.
"No individual should be denied a promotion simply based on the color of their skin. ... The Supreme Court today reminded all courts and governments that equal justice under the law means refusing to tip the scale in favor of one race over another."
From CNN Politics
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She is typical of ALL of the appointments made by Obama.
A RACIST and one who wants to "re-write" laws and not ENFORCE laws.
Welcome to socialism the Obama way, folks!
Glad she was over-turned. Shows you how out-of-step this liberal is!
I don't agree with much this court puts out, but this one makes sense. The decision makes clear that affirmative action is NOT a quota program, simply requiring that minorities get special treatment.
The exam did not have new, untried content. Others have passed or failed the exam based on ability. Suddenly it hit a snag. Minorities did not do well. Instead of saying, "Okay, minorities, study harder next time," they simply tossed out the exam!
I think the real secret of passing these exams is pretty obvious: prepare for them. Preparing for school all along is so you can actually learn is also a good idea.
It looks like the problem was simple for the so-called liberals on the Court: the wrong race was suing here. Being white in America is not a crime – yet.
Pretty much sums up the whole republican/democrat debate......republicans say reward the best people, democrats say reward anybody but the best.