Reverse Discrimination

With the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the New Haven Firefighters, reverse discrimination has been in the news more than ever. The concept refers to discrimination in hiring, college admissions, promotion, etc. that is directed towards members of a social group that had been dominant or favored in the past.

The concept of reverse discrimination or reverse racism came into being shortly after affirmative action programs were first enacted. To meet the affirmative action requirements, some employers and schools have adopted “targets” to help them decide how to hire individuals. While not a strict quota, these groups will have a target in mind for hiring a perceived minority.

In the past, the most high profile cases concerning reverse discrimination have been seen in education admissions. The majority of questions concerning education have involved the implementation of quotas for admission to the college or university. Some schools have had their affirmative action policies challenged but accepted because those challenging would never have been admitted in the first place.

The most recent example of a reverse discrimination suit involved the City of New Haven (Connecticut) firefighters and a promotion exam. The exam was tossed out because minority candidates did not score well on it and the city was scared of a lawsuit. The Supreme Court sided with the non-minority candidates that had not been promoted because the test was tossed and ruled that a city may not toss a test that was administered fairly just because one group did not perform adequately.

Contact a Houston Employment Attorney

If you have been the victim of discrimination in the workplace, contact the Houston employment lawyers of the Ross Law Group at 713-482-6910 to discuss your situation and to determine your legal options.