WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court served notice Friday that it may make a far-reaching change in civil rights law in 2009 and knock down a pair of long-standing rules that give special protection to minorities in the workplace and the voting booth.
The justices, after meeting privately, announced they had voted to hear two cases that concern the lingering role of race in American life. The cases could put the court on a collision course with the new administration of President-elect Barack Obama.
One of them arose when a Connecticut city, seeking to maintain diversity in its fire department, scrapped a civil-service test after it became clear that white firefighters had the best scores. This would have meant nearly all the promotions would have gone to whites, not blacks.
The white firefighters sued and said they had been victims of "race politics" in the New Haven city government. They urged the justices to rule that the Constitution and federal civil rights law require employers to use a "race-neutral selection process."
In ruling against the white applicants, lower-court judges said employers had a duty to avoid tests or standards that would leave minorities at a disadvantage.
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