Sotomayor Hearings, Day Four: New Haven Firefighters
Testifying this afternoon in the confirmation hearings of SCOTUS appointee Sonia Sotomayor are some of the New Haven firefighters involved in the Ricci v. DeStefano case. They are, of course, witnesses for the GOP.
In the Ricci case, a group of white and Hispanic firefighters sued the city, claiming discrimination when they weren't granted job promotions for passing a promotion test; the test was rejected because black firefighters did not fare as well.
Firefighter Frank Ricci, at the center of the storm, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that those who took the exam had "an equal opportunity to succeed as individuals, and we were all provided a road map to prepare for the exam."
"When your house is on fire or your life is in jeopardy there are no time for do overs," he added.
Watch their testimony -- a compelling moment in an otherwise dullish week -- via C-SPAN.
Talk about hypocrites. The Republicans are attacking Sotomayor for having empathy and using her experience to form decisions, then bring up Ricci to argue that the law be damned, this is about your home burning down!
This is a subject close to my heart and something that I've blogged about for more than a year