Judge orders compromise on arrest records

A federal judge in Nashville has ruled the city has been violating a court order for the last 37 years by using arrest records to disqualify candidates from jobs. But U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger also suspended the 1973 order, saying it needs to be modified.
Vanderbilt University law professor James Blumstein argued that using arrest records fails to take into account that some people are never convicted.
The Tennessean reports Metro government argued that the court order is outdated. Attorneys said some state and federal programs require Metro to use arrest data when checking the background of candidates.
In the Dec. 16 ruling, Trauger found that Metro was in contempt of court for violating the order, but she suspended it for 120 days, ordering Blumstein and Metro to come up with a compromise.