Legal Question in Discrimination Law in California

Re: deceptive hiring

I am not an expert in this field, but common sense would suggest that it not a violation of federal laws as it is not based upon improper discrimination. You might have a very, very weak tort claim against the company for your time and travel expense, but it is definitely not worth pursuing. Contact the HR department of the company and complain to them, find out from them if there is a federal agency you can also complain to. It will be very difficult to show the hiring was improper. It is not uncommon for a government department that wants to hire a specific individual to announce to an interview and then select that person as the finalist. A company is free to hire anyone unless it has entered into a contract with the government not to. I doubt any such contractual obigation exists in your case, but you can ask the company and the governmental entity involved.