Although our commander-in-chief has had a big impact on discussions about race in America, he will not have any of his own Supreme Court justices sitting in the racially charged court sessions that began April 20. Over the next two weeks, the Supreme Court will hear a number of cases related to race:

The Supreme Court has an opportunity to reaffirm or reshape the nation's civil rights laws as it faces a rare confluence of cases over the next two weeks, including a high-profile challenge brought by white firefighters who claim they lost out on promotions because of the "color of their skin."

The cases also touch on the Voting Rights Act, the need to provide English classes for immigrant children and, more tangentially, discriminatory mortgage lending. The most emotionally charged case is from New Haven, Conn., firefighters, whose complaints define the real-life quandary that sometimes accompanies government efforts to ensure racial equality.

Source - Washington Post, High Court Poised to Closely Weigh Civil Rights Laws

More about the firefighters' case:

The lead plaintiff, Frank Ricci, is a veteran firefighter who said in sworn statements that he spent thousands of dollars in preparation and studied for months for the exam. Ricci said he is dyslexic, so he had tapes made of the test materials and listened to them on his commute.

The firefighters' longtime attorney, Karen Lee Torre, did not allow her clients to talk to reporters -- other than for a segment on conservative commentator Sean Hannity's show on Fox News -- but Ricci said in a sworn statement, "I relied in good faith on the promise that effort, and not race, would determine who would be promoted."

When the results of the 2003 exams came back, only white firefighters, including one who is Hispanic, scored high enough to be considered for the openings for lieutenants and captains. All 27 black firefighters who took the test were below the cutoff. After tumultuous public hearings, with minority groups arguing that the tests were flawed and the white firefighters claiming officials were caving to political pressure, the city's Civil Service Board voted not to certify the results. The promotions remain in limbo. Source - Washington Post High Court Poised to Closely Weigh Civil Rights Laws

I suggest you read the entire Washington Post article for yourself. The story of 'The New Haven 20' and commentary are riveting.