The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Monday in favor of white New Haven, Conn., firefighters who claimed they were the victims of reverse discrimination.

The firefighters had passed a promotion exam. But the city decided to throw out the results because no African-American and only two Hispanic firefighters had scored well enough to make lieutenant or captain. City officials said they acted to avoid a lawsuit by minority firefighters.

“Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer’s reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and quali...

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