Lawsuit by Black Connecticut Firefighter Dismissed

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a black firefighter against the city of New Haven, Connecticut over a 2003 promotion exam that was the subject of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June.

Firefighter Michael Briscoe alleged he was unfairly denied a chance for promotion to lieutenant because the city wrongly gave more weight to the test’s written part than the oral section.

Judge Charles S. Haight Jr. dismissed Briscoe’s lawsuit Wednesday, saying he would issue his reasons in a subsequent opinion.

New Haven scrapped the exam after learning no black firefighters and only two Hispanics were likely to be promoted based on the results.

The Supreme Court ruled the city should not have scrapped the list, saying white firefighters were denied promotions unfairly because of their race.