The Senate hearings on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor begin this week. One of the witnesses Republicans are calling to testify will be Frank Ricci, the New Haven, Conn., firefighter who filed the anti-discrimination Ricci lawsuit decided recently by the Supreme Court.
Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota will be part of the committee that questions witnesses testifying in the Sotomayor hearing. I would like to hear him pose these questions to Frank Ricci:
1. Thank you for testifying, Mr. Ricci, and thank you for your years of service as one of America’s first responders. I have a few questions about some of your past legal activities. In 1995, you filed a lawsuit against the city of New Haven in which you alleged you were not hired as a firefighter because you are dyslexic, isn’t that correct?
2. In that lawsuit, you accused the city of New Haven of having violated the Americans with Disabilities Act that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, isn’t that correct?
3. You eventually dropped that lawsuit after the city agreed to hire you as a firefighter, isn’t that correct?
4. Would you agree, Mr. Ricci, that you were hired because of an affirmative action law that helps people with disabilities get a job? Would you also agree that because the city was forced to hire you, another qualified applicant for firefighter who does not have dyslexia or a similar disability was passed over?
5. Would you explain to the committee the difference between affirmative action for persons with disabilities, as was the case with you, and affirmative action for persons who happen to be black?
Thank you, Mr. Ricci.
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