A U.S. District Court judge denied a Trump administration attempt to remove a 46-year-old agreement that aims to increase Black and female personnel when the city of Syracuse hires for its police and fire departments.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens hailed the June 24 decision by Judge David Hurd that leaves the practice in place.

“The court’s decision recognizes the city’s long-term commitment to fair, equitable and inclusive hiring practices,” said Owens. “We will continue working to ensure that our public safety departments reflect the diverse community they serve.”

The Department of Justice filed a motion to vacate the 1980 consent decree last year, arguing it violated the Civil Rights Act and didn’t align with recent Supreme Court decisions, including the use of race in college admissions.

In his 25-page ruling, Hurd said the Trump administration relied on an interpretation of a trend of Supreme Court decisions, rather than one that changed precedent on race- and sex-conscious hiring decisions.

Hurd also denied a 2021 attempt by the first Trump administration to dissolve the decree.

“Once again our government is spending its time and money trying to strip away the very tools that ensure our police and fire departments look like the community they serve,” said  L. Joy Williams, NAACP-New York State Conference president. “The court’s decision today confirms that we cannot and will not retreat from our commitment to justice while significant racial and gender disparities continue to plague municipal institutions across the state.”

In its argument, the DOJ said the city reached “substantial attainment” of the decree’s goals, which aimed to have the same percentage of Black and female staff in the two departments as the rest of the city’s labor force.

According to data provided by the city to the court, the city’s labor force as of 2024 was almost 25% Black and 51% female, however, its police department as of January was 8.4% Black and 18% female; 19% of the fire department’s personnel is Black and just 4% are female.

“The court’s decision today confirms that we cannot and will not retreat from our commitment to justice while significant racial and gender disparities continue to plague municipal institutions across the state,” Williams said.