Full Court Press: Supreme Court to Hear Employment Discrimination Case

The Roberts Court Faces Integration in the Workplace:
Will Justice Kennedy Stick with the Archconservatives?

Almost two years ago, in a 5-4 decision, Chief Justice Roberts, newly appointed by President George W. Bush, wrote a decision dismantling decades of precedent when he rejected efforts by Seattle and Louisville to ensure that their schools were racially integrated.

Justice Kennedy joined the four reliable opponents of any remedies for past segregation but left the door open for a future case in which the goal of integrating schools might allow a school district to take race into account in assigning students to schools.

Next week, the Court will hear arguments in a case from New Haven, Connecticut, that may test if that door remains open at all, or will be shut forever against efforts to promote racial diversity -- this time in the workplace rather than schools.

Read more about this case, Ricci v. DeStefano.