Reverse Discrimination

The U.S. Supreme Court has just rendered a decision on the case involving the firemen in new Haven, Connecticut. It is a reverse discrimination lawsuit filed by firemen in New Haven, Connecticut. The name or style of the case is Ricci v. DeStafano. The decision was 5-4, which is interesting since the decision in the 2003 Bollinger University of Michigan cases had the same split, but with entirely different results. In the Ricci case, the U.S. Supreme Court was asked to determine if there was a continued need for special treatment for minorities, or if enough progress had been made to make existing laws obsolete, especially in a political atmosphere in which an African-American occupies the White House. This case is important on a variety of fronts.

First, why is the fact that an American, who happens to have mixed parentage, be mentioned in this case? What is the relevance?

Secondly, why is the media, etc., making an issue of the fact that the nominee for the US Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, ruled against the firemen? Does this case highlight the importance of party affiliation, politics, and the persons who sit as Justices of the highest court in America?

Thirdly, what happens to affirmative action programs? I look forward to your comments.