Within weeks we should have a new Supreme Court associate justice, but the Republicans will try to make things interesting. Among the people that have been called as witnesses against Sotomayor are a Bush appointee who foresaw the need to create internment camps for Arab-Americans, anti-abortion activists and Frank Ricci, the dyslexic fireman from the New Haven firefighters case. I’m not clear on why Ricci is testifying. What expertise does he have on the law? As I understand it, Sotomayor and the rest of the Appeals Court ruled against Ricci based on settled law. The Supreme Court overturned the settled law? To me, that is the purpose and difference between an Appeals Court and the Supreme Court. What does Ricci bring to the table in the hearings?
TPM has found some interesting information about Ricci, however. Ricci was first hired as a result of a lawsuit alleging discrimination against dyslexic people (he failed the civil service test).
But flash back, if you will, to January 25, 1995, when, according to the Hartford Courant Ricci was singing the opposite tune: “A decorated firefighter has filed a lawsuit against the city, saying he was not hired because he is dyslexic.”
The lawsuit, filed recently in federal court, could shed light on the selection process used by the city, which has been beset with criticism over politics and nepotism.
Frank Ricci charges in the lawsuit that the city violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities.Ricci, a Wallingford native who now lives in Maryland, was one of 795 candidates who were interviewed for 40 openings. Ricci told interviewers that he has a learning disability, the lawsuit says.
Fire commissioners have said that although Ricci was qualified, many others also were qualified because they passed the Civil Service examination.
Two years later, that case was resolved. “In a confidential settlement, struck two years later, Mr. Ricci withdrew his lawsuit in exchange for a job with the fire department and $11,143 in attorney’s fees.”
So, will the hearings be anti-climactic or will they generate fireworks? Barring any expected new revelations I expect that Sotomayor will be confirmed easily.