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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

President Trump Designates English as the Official Language of the United States

President Trump signed an Executive Order on March 1 designating English as the official language of the United States. The new E.O. rescinds E.O. 13166, which former President Bill Clinton signed to improve government services for people with limited English proficiency. The new E.O. does not instruct federal agencies to take any action other than rescinding E.O. 13166 and related...
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Category: Agency Enforcement

EEOC Signals It Won’t Pursue Claims of Gender Identity Discrimination

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has moved to dismiss six lawsuits that it filed last year alleging gender identity discrimination against employers. Last week, the EEOC and Harmony Hospitality jointly moved to dismiss the EEOC’s case against Harmony Hospitality, which alleged that Harmony violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by firing an employee after learning of the employee’s...
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Category: Agency Enforcement

EEOC and OFCCP Modify Long-Standing MOU; DOJ Ends Its Participation

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) December 17, 2024, outlining how they will share information and process discrimination charges and complaints. Before doing so, the agencies rescinded a similar 2020 MOU that included the Department of Justice. The EEOC enforces Title VII of the 1964 Civil...
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Category: ADA

U.S. Supreme Court Set To Hear Four Employment-Related Cases During New Term

The U.S. Supreme Court began its 2024-2025 term this week with several employment law cases on its docket: Stanley v. City of Sanford—This case concerns a disabled retiree’s challenge under the Americans with Disabilities Act of a change in retiree benefits that occurred more than 20 years ago. E.M.D. Sales v. Carrera—This case concerns the Fair Labor Standards Act’s exemption...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

8th Circuit Rejects Claim That Firing for Posting Anti-LGBTQ+ Language Was Religious Discrimination

Arconic Corp. did not discriminate on the basis of religion under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it fired an employee for posting anti-LGBTQ+ language on its intranet site, even though the employee’s post was based on his sincere religious beliefs, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has ruled. In upholding a federal trial...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

Group of “Red” State AGs Files Challenge to EEOC’s New Harassment Guidance

Republican Attorneys General from 18 states filed a lawsuit May 13, 2024, challenging several provisions of workplace anti-harassment guidance  issued last month by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Tennessee v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, focuses on the provisions that relate to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI)...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

Supreme Court Makes It Easier To Prove Discriminatory Job Transfer Under Title VII

In an important employment discrimination case, the U.S. Supreme Court has lowered the burden of proof for an employee to prove that an unwanted job transfer violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Title VII prohibits a discriminatory job transfer even if it does not cause an employee significant harm, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Muldrow v. St. Louis. Resolving...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

5th Circuit Rules Ultimate Employment Decision Not Required for Title VII Disparate Treatment Claim

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has reversed its own precedent and ruled that an employee can allege a disparate treatment claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act even if the claim does not involve an ultimate employment decision such as termination, denial of a promotion, or the setting of pay. In reversing a...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

Ninth Circuit Says Offensive Rap Music at Work Can Give Rise to Valid Sex Discrimination Claim

Sexually derogatory music blasted constantly throughout a workplace can give rise to a sex discrimination claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, even if the music is offensive to both female and male employees, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled June 7, 2023. In reversing a trial court’s grant of summary judgment...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

Supreme Court Clarifies Title VII Religious Accommodation Standard: Undue Hardship Means Substantial Cost

The Supreme Court has ruled that an employer must show that an employee’s requested religious accommodation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) will result in substantial cost to its business before the employer can deny the accommodation. The ruling in Groff v. DeJoy upends years of lower court case law holding that an employer...

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