Supreme Court Rules for White Firefighters in Ricci v. DeStefano

The Supreme Court ruled 5–4 in Ricci v. DeStefano that New Haven, Connecticut violated Title VII by discarding a firefighter promotion exam after no Black candidates passed. The ruling restricted employers' ability to remedy disparate-impact discrimination. Civil rights advocates warned it would chill voluntary affirmative action and make it harder to address structural racial barriers in employment. The case arose in the context of Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings.