An allegedly racially biased application test for entry-level Chicago firefighter positions is at the center of a US Supreme Court case brought by 6,000 African-American applicants, Workforce Management reports. According to LawMemo, oral arguments in the case, Lewis et al v. City of Chicago, began earlier this week.
Illinois employment lawyers and labor attorneys across the country are eagerly awaiting the high court's decision in the federal employment discrimination case.
A group of 6,000 African-American applicants for Chicago firefighter positions sued the city of Chicago because of an examination that excluded a disproportionately large majority of a protected class of invididuals. The City of Chicago does not dispute allegations that the exam was biased, but bases its position on a technicality.