A federal judge has slammed New York City for adopting hiring practices at the fire department that he says were designed to keep blacks from joining the force.

In a ruling Wednesday, Judge Nicholas Garaufis said the FDNY’s written exams were part of a pattern of intentional discrimination against blacks in violation of the Civil Rights Act.

The judge ruled in July that the written exams used to screen and rank applicants were discriminatory. The department has about 350 black firefighters out of 11,500.

The city law department disagreed with the judge’s ruling. A spokesman for the organization that represents black firefighters says he’s hopeful a remedy is near.