Court Agrees Deputies Were Unjustly Fired

Georgia’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that 27 deputies, most of them white, were unjustly fired by their county’s new black sheriff.

The deputies were fired by Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill on Jan. 3, 2005, his first day in office. Some had supported the incumbent, who had lost. The deputies sued, alleging discrimination and political retaliation.

A lower court judge ordered Hill to rehire most of the employees within days. He did not give them their former jobs, but lower-ranking positions as correctional officers.

The high court ruled 6 to 1 “that the elected sheriff is not subject to the civil service system, but those occupying positions in his office are.” It said the sheriff’s employees could only be fired “for good cause and in accordance with civil service system rules and regulations.”

It was not immediately clear how the Supreme Court ruling would affect the deputies, said their lawyer, Harlan Miller.

In a statement after Monday’s ruling, Hill said: “Unfortunately, we are stuck with the administration of the past sheriff. We will move forward with this team that we have been dealt instead of the team of our own choosing as past sheriffs have been allowed to do.”