The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the city of Corpus Christi for violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The lawsuit alleges that the city’s police department engaged in a pattern of employment discrimination against women and the department’s use of a physical ability test for hiring entry-level officers.

According to the complaint, the physical test used by the city between 2005 and 2011 had the effect of excluding qualified women from consideration for hire as entry-level police officers and did not screen candidates for job-related skills.

Title VII prohibits employment practices that result in a disparate impact on various bases, including sex, unless the employer can prove that such practices really test for what the job requires.

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