DoJ Civil Rights Division sues New Jersey

New Jersey's civil service test for police officers seeking a promotion to sergeant discriminates against African-American and Hispanic candidates, according to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice Thursday.

Even African-Americans and Hispanics who pass the multiple-choice test are less likely to receive promotions because their scores are lower, according to the 10-page lawsuit filed against the state and the Civil Service Commission. The suit seeks to block the state from using the test.

At least 120 municipal and county police departments in New Jersey have used the discriminatory system from 2000 to 2008, according to Department of Justice spokesman Alejandro Miyar.

Eighteen of the state's 20 largest cities and townships, including Newark, use the same test.

[snip]

Civil Service Commission spokesman Mark Perkiss said the test is developed internally and administered annually with different questions each year. "We've been testing for this position for decades," he said.

[snip]

The Department of Justice is arguing the state has violated Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination, because it hasn't proved that the test, which some departments require for promotions to sergeant, is an essential tool for determing fitness for the job.

[snip]

The lawsuit says the state and the Civil Service Commission "have pursued and continue to pursue policies and practices that discriminate against African-American and Hispanic candidates and that deprive or tend to deprive African Americans and Hispanics of employment opportunities."