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On Tuesday, April 14, 2009, ACS hosted a press briefing on Ricci v. DeStefano, a case currently before the Supreme Court that presents important issues in the area of equal employment opportunity. Ricci involves the decision by the City of New Haven not to certify the results of a civil service exam administered to firefighters on the ground that the exam discriminated against minority firefighters and consequently was unlawful under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A group of white firefighters (and one Latino) who had scored well on the exam, but were not promoted when the city declined to certify the test results, allege that the city discriminated against them based on their race in violation of Title VII and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The city asserts that it was fulfilling its obligation to avoid race discrimination by refusing to rely on a flawed and discriminatory test. The lower courts sided with the city and dismissed the case. Now the Supreme Court will decide: did the city violate the laws against race discrimination, or uphold them? A diverse group of experts offered analysis of the case and its implications, and previewed some of the points likely to be considered when the Supreme Court hears oral argument on Wednesday, April 22, 2009.

The panel featured:

• Moderator, Lia Epperson, Assistant Professor of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law
• Joshua Civin, Assistant Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
• Derek Ho, Partner, Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel, PLLC
• Michael Rosman, General Counsel, The Center for Individual Rights
• Virginia Seitz, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP