Iowa Supreme Court: State’s employment practices are not discriminatory

The Iowa Supreme Court reaffirmed the Fifth Judicial District Court's decision Friday that the state's employment practices were not discriminatory against blacks.

In the case, Linda Pippen v. the State of Iowa, the plaintiffs alleged that the state did not maintain a diverse, non-discriminatory workplace.

According to Supreme Court documents, the plaintiffs said this led to a disproportionate number of blacks being denied equal opportunity for employment.

In addition to policy changes, the plaintiffs sought financial compensation for lost wages.

The District Court for Polk County did not find evidence of discrimination in the state's employment practices.

Pippen pleaded guilty in 2011 to embezzling $43,000 in unemployment benefits and aggravated identity theft, all while the case unfolded. At the time, Pippen was an adviser for the Iowa Workforce Development.

Thomas Newkirk, one of the plaintiff attorneys in the case, said although he's not happy with the decision, he said he is glad the Supreme Court recognized the issue of subconscious bias against blacks.

'Even though our firm invested probably $3 million to $4 million worth of time and services in that case, in some ways we don't regret losing it,” Newkirk said.

Jeffrey Thompson, the deputy attorney general for litigation for the state, said he is relieved by the Supreme Court decision, but 'win or lose, we have been working with our client agencies to make improvements in the hiring process.”