End of Racial Consent Decree Poised to Change Federal Hiring

The 44-year-old decree ‘effectively banned the use of civil service exams,’ Norma Riccucci, a professor at Rutgers University, said.

The Department of Justice in Washington on March 10, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—On Aug. 1, a U.S. District Court judge in Washington dismissed a 44-year-old consent decree that had curbed civil service testing.

Judge Reggie Walton’s dismissal came half a year after the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) first sought to end the decree. They argued it was racially discriminatory and that it kept them from assessing job applicants effectively.