Wade Backlund v. Neal J. Hessen

MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, Circuit Judge.

Wade Backlund appeals the district court’s dismissal of his claim of employment discrimination. We reverse and remand.

I

Mr. Backlund applied for a job as a firefighter with the City of Duluth Fire Department (“Fire Department”). He earned the highest score on a written examination and was placed first on a ranked list of eligible candidates. This list determined which candidates could interview for openings, and Mr. Backlund’s ranking guaranteed him an interview for any openings that occurred during the two years that followed his being placed on the list.…