Former President Biden’s Office of Civil Rights attempted to influence local policy, directly impacting Cobb County. Just days before President Trump’s administration took office on January 20, 2025, the Biden administration orchestrated a “Consent Decree” with Cobb County.
This agreement, driven by Cobb County Commissioners under the leadership of Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, was designed to settle allegations of racial discrimination in hiring and promotions within the Cobb County Fire Department.
However, Judge William M. Ray of North Georgia’s Federal District Court DENIED the joint decree motion filed by Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and Cobb County. Among the rejected provisions were a $750,000 payout to eligible African American claimants and the creation of 16 priority hire positions with retroactive seniority—essentially race-based promotions.
A consent decree is an agreement between litigants to settle a lawsuit, requiring a judge’s approval. Judges rarely reject these settlements, but Judge Ray did just that. A former Georgia state judge, Ray was appointed to the federal bench by President Donald Trump in 2018.
His ruling defied expectations and sent a clear message that racial quotas and financial settlements based on race would not stand in his courtroom.
For decades, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners had a Republican majority. However, under Democratic leadership, the county easily agreed to this settlement. Depending on the outcome of a special election in April, control of the Commission could shift back to Republican hands, restoring balance and common sense to local governance, according to some Cobb County Republican leaders.
The Biden Justice Department led by Merrick Garland claimed that the Cobb County Fire Department engaged in racial discrimination by using a written examination and credit checks to screen firefighter candidates.
However, Cobb County had already stopped using credit checks in 2020. Despite this, the DOJ pressed forward, arguing that the exam and previous credit checks had an “impermissible disparate impact” on African American candidates.
Legal experts noted that the Biden Justice Department failed to produce any evidence proving that Cobb County’s hiring practices were discriminatory under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Judge Ray cited the Supreme Court’s 2009 ruling in Ricci v. DeStefano, a case involving New Haven, Connecticut, where the city threw-out test results because white candidates outperformed black candidates.
The Court ruled that before engaging in racial quotas, an employer must have a “strong basis in evidence” to believe it would otherwise be liable for discrimination. In other words, race-based hiring without any performance evaluation is unlawful.
Conservative legal experts say that Judge Ray correctly rejected the DOJ’s demand that Cobb County establish a racial quota system, ensuring that the department continues hiring firefighters based on merit and qualifications rather than skin color.
In his final remarks, Judge Ray warned Cobb County’s leadership that if President Trump’s administration continues to fight this case, he may appoint a special advocate to represent the county—an unusual but justified step given how quickly local officials surrendered to the Biden DOJ’s demands.
The Full Ruling can be read Here
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68513951/united-states-v-cobb-county-georgia
