State Ex Rel. Reilly v. Civil Service Commission

In this case a writ of mandate was sought, by three members of the police force of the city of Spokane, to compel the civil service commission of that city to classify positions in the police department according to a list submitted by them, and to provide an eligibility list from which vacancies might be filled for each position by open, competitive, and free examinations as to fitness, and on the basis of merit, experience, and record. Particular emphasis was directed toward the position of detective, or plainclothes man, which was alleged to be a distinct classification from that of…