Quincy NORRIS, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, Et Al., Defendants-Appellees

Quincy Norris, who is black, applied for a position as a cable splicer with the Department of Electricity of the City and County of San Francisco (the City). He took a civil service exam and was placed on a posted list of eligible candidates, but his application was eventually denied. Norris brought suit, alleging that the City unlawfully denied him employment because of his race in violation of Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq. After a four day bench trial, the court entered judgment for the City and Norris timely appealed. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 . Because of the inadequacy of the district court’s findings and its failure to properly apply the law, we remand the case for further consideration in light of this disposition.

FACTS AND PRIOR PROCEEDINGS

In December 1982, the City posted openings for three cable splicer positions. The minimum qualifications specified for the job were four years experience as a cable splicer and ability to obtain a valid California driver’s license. Norris applied for a cable splicer position and took the Civil Service Commission’s oral and performance tests. At the time, Norris had about twelve years of experience as a cable…