"Too many vowels"

Abigail Thernstrom on Ricci v. DeStefano. An excerpt:

Most racial preferences -- for example, in college admissions -- are shrouded in secrecy and dishonesty. Not here. In 2003, after 58 whites, 23 blacks and 19 Hispanics took tests to determine who would qualify as captains and lieutenants, no blacks and two Hispanics ended up eligible for promotion. The city's civil service board refused to certify the results, denying promotions to all who had earned them. As the chairman of the New Haven Board of Fire Commissioners had earlier told the firefighters, many of whom were Italian, some men would not be hired because "they just have too many vowels in their name[s]."