Voters disagree by 71 percent to 19 percent with a court ruling in which Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotormayor participated that rejected a reverse discrimination suit by a group of white New Haven, Conn. firefighters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted May 26 - June 1. Ten percent were undecided. The firefighters' suit was filed after results of a promotion test were thrown out because no blacks scored high enough to qualify.

The 71 percent said that when the case comes before the U.S. Supreme Court, the justices should rule in favor of the firefighters while 19 percent said they should uphold the city's decision. That sentiment was held by a majority of voters across party lines, although it was highest among Republicans and independents. Whites favored promoting the firefighters by 76 percent to 16 percent, Hispanics by 68 percent to 24 percent and blacks, to a lesser degree agreed by 53 percent to 33 percent.

One of the issues sure to come up during the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was her involvement in a ruling that rejected reverse discrimination claims by white firefighters in Connecticut. The firefighters said the city of New Haven violated their rights by throwing out the results of an officers' promotion exam where minorities had received disproportionately low scores. It's a case that will ultimately come before the Supreme Court.

How does the public feel nowadays about affirmative action issues?

A Pew Research Center survey, conducted March 31 - April 21, said only 31 percent of people it surveyed believed "we should make every effort to improve the position of blacks and minorities, even if it means giving them preferential treatment." Sixty-five percent disagreed.

The Dallas Morning News earlier this year called Hispanic Republicans an "endangered species," and new Republican Party chief Michael Steele, the GOP's first black chairman, has said that the party must broaden its appeal, but a Gallup poll conducted May 1-27 shows just how daunting a task that may be.

The survey said only 11 percent of Republicans are Hispanics or blacks or members of other races. More than six in 10 are white conservatives and the rest whites with other ideological leanings. That compares with 36 percent of Democrats who are Hispanics or non-white and 27 percent of independents.

The election of the nation's first black president has prompted much discussion about whether it has changed the perception of race in American society. A Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted Jan. 13-16 found that 26 percent of Americans consider racism a big problem compared to 54 percent in 1996. Forty-four percent of blacks say it is still a big problem, down from 70 percent, 12 years ago while 22 percent of whites still consider it a big problem, down from 52 percent.

Thirty-five percent overall say racial equality has been achieved and another 38 percent believe it soon will be. Whites are more likely to say it has been achieved (by 18 points) but equal numbers of blacks and whites feel it soon will be achieved.

There are two polls out today dealing with racial matters - on by Gallup on Americans' perception of how widespread racism is, and a Rasmussen Reports survey on where Americans come down on affirmative action.

USA Today/Gallup, based on data collected between June 5 and July 6, found that Americans believe by 56 percent to 42 percent that racism against blacks is widespread in the U.S. Whites believe that by 51 percent to 46 percent, blacks hold that view 78 percent to 20 percent and Hispanics by 59 percent to 38 percent. Pluralities of all Americans say that discrimination is a major factor in blacks' education and income levels, while a majority say it is a key factor in black prison rates. However, on the question of whether it has a major effect on black life expectancy, those polled say no by 35 percent to 31 percent.