What an honor for New York that Marine Corps Sgt. Dakota Meyer wants to join the FDNY.
What a disgrace to the federal bench that one willful judge placed himself squarely in Meyer's path.
Sgt. Dakota Meyer stood tall when President Obama draped the Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest commendation for military valor -- around his neck on Sept. 15.
Just as he stood tall during a 2009 ambush in Afghanistan, when Meyer saved 13 Americans and 23 Afghan troops, retrieved the bodies of four slain Americans and killed at least eight Taliban terrorists.
And now he wants to join the FDNY.
Alas, it turns out that he missed the filing deadline for a January entrance exam by a matter of hours. By the rules, he would have to wait four years to apply again.
Big deal, you say.
Waive the rules for Sgt. Meyer, you say.
Ah, but it's not that simple.
The FDNY, you see, is in the iron grip of Brooklyn Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis, who believes the department discriminates against minorities and who long ago appointed himself de facto deputy fire commissioner for hiring.
Garaufis set the deadline Meyer barely missed -- and even though City Hall wanted to grant an exception, under the Garaufis rules only Garaufis can issue dispensations.
And you thought the divine right of kings went out of fashion centuries ago? Wrong.
Thus did the matter become a federal case.
Happily, King Nicholas seems to have realized that he was in a tough spot, public-relations-wise, and gave the Marine a pass.
Guess what? Meyer, true to his character, refused it -- not wanting any special privileges. He should reconsider.
Serving as an FDNY firefighter, Meyer had told The Post, is "a way I feel I can do my part in giving back to America."
True, he's already done enough.
But honoring the city, the site of the 9/11 terror attacks, as a firefighter would only add to his record. Special privileges or no. 
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