Merlino v. Schneider
The petitioner, a Spanish-speaking community-service worker, was denied civil service employment as a probation investigator after failing the oral portion of an examination. She challenged this denial, arguing that the oral exam lacked objective standards and that she was denied proper administrative review due to the respondents' refusal to provide an audiotape of her examination. The Supreme Court initially denied her petition, dismissing the proceeding. However, the appellate court reversed the judgment, finding significant procedural shortcomings in the examination process and the administrative appeal. The court concluded that the petitioner's right to have her competency judged in a competitive examination process was violated and remitted the matter to the respondents for reconsideration pursuant to objective standards.