http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E2DB143DF93AA3575AC0A96F9582 60

A Federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a man who was barred from the New London police force because he scored too high on an intelligence test.

In a ruling made public on Tuesday, Judge Peter C. Dorsey of the United States District Court in New Haven agreed that the plaintiff, Robert Jordan, was denied an opportunity to interview for a police job because of his high test scores. But he said that that did not mean Mr. Jordan was a victim of discrimination.

Judge Dorsey ruled that Mr. Jordan was not denied equal protection because the city of New London applied the same standard to everyone: anyone who scored too high was rejected.

How weird is that?

The one explanation that might make sense here is that the applicant with the higher score may be more prone to move on to another job or up the ladder sooner rather than later, leaving the department having to fill the position and train a new hire all over again. That could be argued to be both stressful on the department personnel and budget.