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Sonia Sotomayor's 13 Most Notable Decisions

1. Ricci v. Destefano (2008)
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(Jessica Hill/AP)

One of Sotomayor's most controversial cases, Ricci v. Destefano involves the decision of the city of New Haven, Conn., to scrap the results of a civil service exam that determined promotions within the fire department because no black received a high enough score to be promoted. Frank Ricci and others who passed the test sued, arguing that the city practiced reverse discrimination because they weren't black and violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. In an unsigned opinion, Sotomayor was part of a three-judge panel that sided with a lower court's decision to throw out the test results. The full court then declined to rehear the case. In a recent 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the white firefighters, overturning the decision endorsed by Sotomayor.

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