Black Secret Service agents cleared a major hurdle this week in a discrimination lawsuit that claims the Department of Homeland Security has passed over African Americans for promotions, Reuters reports.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Roberts ruled the eight current and former agents meet requirements for class recertification, a key technicality to move the case forward.
The plaintiffs claim the department violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by using an job evaluation system that is biased against African Americans, Reuters reported.
The department countered that black agents, on average, receive promotions earlier in their career than others.
“This evidence conclusively refutes plaintiffs’ overarching claim that the Secret Service has refused to eliminate racism from the fabric of its promotion process,” it said in the court document.
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