Just An Average Joe: Vindicated

On Monday June 29, 2009, The Supreme Court overturned a lower courts decision in the controversial New Haven Fire Fighters Discrimination Lawsuit. By a 5 to 4 decision, the court determined that the City of New Haven Connecticut did not have sufficient reason to throw out a test result and promote candidates to a position where they scored less than their peers. The candidates promoted were black and the Plaintiffs in this case were White and Latino.

The significant part of this case is that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was one of the presiding Appellate Judges that ruled against the Firefighters and was the reason the case was taken to the Supreme Court. Could this be the fuel needed by the GOP to deny Judge Sotomayor a place on the Court? Many of her supporters say no, and the following is an excerpt from an article by Mark Sherman of the Associated Press; http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090629/ap_on_go_su_co/us_supreme_court_firefighters_lawsuit
The ruling could give Sotomayor's critics fresh ammunition two weeks before her Senate confirmation hearing. Conservatives say it shows she is a judicial activist who lets her own feelings color her decisions. On the other hand, liberal allies say her stance in the case demonstrates her restraint and unwillingness to go beyond established precedents.

The New Haven Fire Department has come under much scrutiny, through the years, because of discriminatory practices in the hiring and promotion of Whites, Blacks, Latinos and all other ethnic groups. Three times prior to this lawsuit, an organization of black firefighters called the Firebird Society brought lawsuits and won in their accusations of bias and discrimination against black firefighters. The question I believe is, should we continue to discriminate until a point where we can say, as a society we are even? Or, should we just say enough and make sure all requirements for a position are fair to all regardless of race, religion or gender?

I believe in the latter. That is why I had voted for Barack Obama and am willing to give him a chance. He received my vote because I felt he was the most qualified and would do the best job. His skin color meant nothing to me. So far, I have agreed with some things our President is doing. Some I do not, while others I am waiting to see the results. However, I am not sure on his decision to nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. If President Obama’s agenda is to try to reverse discriminate to even the field, then I believe he will do just as much damage to our country internally as I believe former President George W. Bush did to us around the world. I can only ask President Obama one thing. Please remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King from his I Have a Dream Speech; I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
If placing Judge Sotomayor keeps this dream from happening then, Mr. President, you will have lost my confidence, my support and most important, my vote.