NEW YORK — The mostly white Fire Department of New York is temporarily barred from hiring more than 300 rookie firefighters because it used an entry exam that discriminates against blacks and Latinos, a judge ruled Wednesday.
In a written decision in federal court in Brooklyn, U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said the city had not come up with a good explanation for wanting to hire a new class of firefighters based on an “invalid” test. The judge’s order prohibits any new hiring until Oct. 1.
A city lawyer, Georgia Pestana, warned in a statement Wednesday that the city will be forced to pay $2 million per month in overtime to make up for understaffing at the 11,000-member Fire Department.
The ruling follows earlier setbacks for the city in the lengthy legal dispute with the federal government over discrimination claims. The judge previously found the FDNY had deliberately discriminated against minorities and ordered it to revamp its hiring practices.
