While it might appear that so-called reverse discrimination came to an end Monday, bringing out the champagne and party hats is unadvisable.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Ricci, et. al. v. DeStefano, et. al. that 20 white firefighters and one Hispanic firefighter in Connecticut were unfairly denied promotion because of their race.

This is a ruling against minorities that could affect employers and workers nationwide. The ruling could alter employment practices by limiting the circumstances in which employers can be held liable for decisions when there is no evidence of intentional discrimination against minorities.

It also means the justices threw out a decision that Sonia Sotomayor, the nominee for the Supreme Court, had endorsed as an appeals court judge.

The ruling came straight down ideological lines, 5-4, and fell pretty much how most court watchers thought it would. It seems that the high court’s decision then is the majority’s opinion that rejects Judge Sotomayor’s reasoning. Yet, by gaining support of the four liberals on the Supreme Court, it appears that Sotomayor may not be as far out in left field as some conservatives would want the rest of us to believe.