Affirmative Action After Ricci

23:56

June 30, 2009

Frank Ricci, left, lead plaintiff in the "New Haven 20" firefighter reverse discrimination case speaks to the media outside of Federal Court in New Haven, Conn., Monday June 29, 2009. The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) — Frank Ricci, left, lead plaintiff in the New Haven firefighters' reverse discrimination case, speaks to the media outside of Federal Court in New Haven, Conn., on Monday, June 29, 2009. The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the white firefighters were unfairly denied promotions because of their race. (AP)

Yesterday the Supreme Court handed down the most anticipated decision of its term, finding that white firefighters denied promotion in New Haven, Connecticut, were the victims of racial discrimination.
In doing so, the justices overturned a ruling joined by Federal appeals court judge, and high court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor. That alone grabbed a lot of headlines.
But more profound are the questions raised about civil rights law and the future of affirmative action in the United States.
This hour, On Point: the Ricci case, civil rights law, and the future of affirmative action.
You can join the conversation. Tell us what you think — here on this page, on Twitter, and on Facebook.Guests:

Joining us from Washington is Jess Bravin, Supreme Court correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
From Chicago we're joined by Richard Epstein, professor of law at The University of Chicago and author of "Skepticism and Freedom: A Modern Case for Classic Liberalism" and "Principles for a Free Society: Reconciling Individual Liberty with the Common Good."
And from San Francisco we're joined by Richard Thompson Ford, professor of law at Stanford University and author of the books "The Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse" and "Racial Culture: A Critique."

This program aired on June 30, 2009.