The Luevano Consent Decree and Public Personnel Reform

Abstract

The 1981 Luevano consent decree that resolved a legal challenge to the Professional and Administrative Careers Examination was one of the most influential public personnel developments of the 1980s and 1990s, widely influencing subsequent civil service reforms. The decree remains in effect as of this writing, although its effectiveness has been increasingly questioned in recent years. This article examines the terms of the decree and whether the stated goal of improving opportunities for blacks and Hispanics to secure positions in the federal civil service would be better accomplished through alternate measures.