Fired White Workers Awarded $1.9 Million in New Orleans DA Scandal

I actually have heard much more about this case from NPR interviews today than internet press coverage, but for what it's worth:

New Orleans Times-Picayune

FIRED WHITE WORKERS ARE AWARDED $1.9 MILLION
Jury finds DA liable in discrimination suit
Thursday, March 31, 2005
By Gwen Filosa
Staff writer

A federal jury said Wednesday that Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan, the first African-American to be elected the city's chief prosecutor, discriminated against 43 white employees when he fired them in 2003.

Jurors awarded the plaintiffs about $1.9 million in back pay and other damages, a figure equal to about 20 percent of Jordan's annual budget of $10 million. Jordan said his office could not afford such a payment and that he would appeal the verdict.

"I wasn't making racial decisions," Jordan said after the verdict, repeating as he did on the witness stand that he did not know who held the positions when he arrived.

The only sign of leniency the jury showed was refusing to award the plaintiffs punitive damages. The fired employees, led by Judith DeCorte, a former legal assistant in the child support division, had asked for a modest sum of $100,000 to cover them all.

"Race discrimination is wrong; it goes both ways," said the plaintiffs' lead attorney, Clement Donelon. The verdict, he said, "sends the message to elected officials: Don't discriminate."

Donelon, a former attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said that if Jordan had fired the entire office left over from the previous administration, "we wouldn't be here. You can't just fire all the white people."

I think the last point is key, he could have fired everybody and it would have been seen as okay (theoretically), but as the debate on NPR just revealed Jordan just fired all the good ol' boys in the former DA's dynasty (held by Harry Connick Jr's dad for 29 years), who happened to be white, so it's "racism".

Reversing a wrong is reverse racism now apparently, said the 80% white jury in a predominantly black city served the past 29 years by a predominantly white DA's office. Wow, that's ironic.

Of course when Connick filled the slots with his own people initially (that happened to be white) that was okay. But when a black man runs a good ol' boy network just like everyone else in politics, it's racism.

Jordan said he hired people that helped him on his campaign, insiders, supporters, former staffers (much like Connick had). So you hire loyal and fire disloyal after a political campaign. Is that something new? The fact they were black didn't cross his mind (much like the fact Connick's people were white probably didn't cross his either).

But now that the good old boy network gets a little color to it, it's suddenly "wrong." I see. :shk:

I'm torn because I wish the best people were hired for every job, not just who you know and who you owe, but making this a race thing seems patently hypocritical to me.

What does the white minority in New Orleans want anyway? Race quotas? It's a thought.

Just glad to see they're making use of hard fought for political correctness legacy and legal regress measures to ensure equity. Congrats to disenfranchised white minorities for demanding political correctness.

And being such useful hypocrites too of course.

Two "wrongs" don't make a "right", either. I can't get with the idea that just because people have been getting away with something that makes it ok for others to get their turn in the "getting away with it" seat.

The good old boy network and the attitudes behind it should go away, not change hands.

Originally posted by Ambient Sound
Two "wrongs" don't make a "right", either. I can't get with the idea that just because people have been getting away with something that makes it ok for others to get their turn in the "getting away with it" seat.

The good old boy network and the attitudes behind it should go away, not change hands.

I actually agree Ambient. But sadly, we're probably among the few seeing this as the "gold old boy" network that it is... and against it for the right reasons. I have found the article making play in a number of places to make "reverse discrimination" points, but not this angle.

I'd hate to see elected officials unable to make strategic appointments, or rather forced to work with subversive staff, but I've also seen widespread abuse of non-elected office gutting on a statewide level with coattail elections like 1980 that did way more harm than good.

So it's a difficult issue, but not a racial one in my opinion. At least not moreso than it's ever been.

Reverse discrimination is becoming more prevalent.

Here in Texas a person can get passed over for a job promotion and at times refused a job because of not being bilingual. This has been going on for years. This is legal...... I believe this practice would be illegal if laws were passed to make English the official language.

Just wondering.... What is a good ole boy? Is this a racial slur?

Originally posted by ms_Bhavn
Just wondering.... What is a good ole boy? Is this a racial slur?

No. It's cronyism.

A gold old boy hires his friends and allies.

OK I get it....that happens... even in the White House. Bush did this with his administration on his second term.