Court: U.S. Supreme Court

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Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination because of (among other protected characteristics) race and color. A lesser-known federal law, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, as interpreted, also prohibits race discrimination in the making and enforcing of contracts (including the “at-will” employment relationship). While both prohibit race discrimination in employment, these federal…

Read More SCOTUS Grants Certiorari Petition to Review Causation Standard for Race Discrimination Claims Under 42 U.S.C. § 1981
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Today the Supreme Court, in an opinion delivered by Justice Ginsburg, Ford Bend County, Texas v. Davis, No. 18-525, held that the EEOC charge-filing requirement, embodied in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, is not “jurisdictional” (and thus does not relate to subject matter jurisdiction), but is rather a “claim-processing rul[] that…

Read More SCOTUS Holds That Title VII’s EEOC Charge-Filing Requirement is Not “Jurisdictional”
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On Monday, April 22, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in several cases – including Altitude Express, Inc. et al v. Zarda, Melissa, et al. (17-1623), which originated in the Second Circuit. The Question Presented in the Zarda case, as set forth in that case’s certiorari petition (which I wrote about here) is: Whether…

Read More SCOTUS Agrees to Hear Title VII Sexual Orientation Discrimination Case
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In Mount Lemmon Fire Dist. v. Guido, 2018 WL 5794639 (U.S. Nov. 6, 2018), the Supreme Court (in an opinion delivered by Justice Ginsburg), broadly interpreted the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The facts, briefly: John Guido and Dennis Rankin were the two oldest employees of the Mount Lemmon Fire District, a political subdivision in…

Read More SCOTUS: ADEA’s Employee-Numerosity Requirement Does Not Apply to States and Their Political Subdivisions
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In a 7-2 decision issued today, Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (U.S. No. 16-111 June 4, 2018) (J. Kennedy), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to create a cake for a gay couple’s wedding because of his claimed religious opposition to same-sex marriage. Importantly,…

Read More SCOTUS Issues Narrow Decision in Baker’s Favor in “Gay Wedding Cake” Case
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In a recent (May 29, 2018) Petition for Writ of Certiorari, filed in Altitude Express, Inc. v. Zarda, the petitioner seeks to overturn the Second Circuit’s en banc decision holding that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s prohibition on discrimination based on “sex” also prohibits discrimination based on “sexual orientation.”

Read More Petition for Writ of Certiorari Asks SCOTUS to Overturn 2d Circuit En Banc Zarda Decision That Title VII Prohibits Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation
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In a pro-employer, 5-4 decision issued today – Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, No. 16-285, 2018 WL 2292444 (U.S. 2018) – the U.S. Supreme Court held that mandatory arbitration agreements are enforceable under the Federal Arbitration Act, and that doing so does not violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). From the Opinion (per Justice…

Read More SCOTUS Upholds Arbitration Agreements
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In Artis v. District of Columbia, 2018 WL 491524 (U.S. Sup. Ct. Jan. 22, 2018), the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted a federal statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1367(d), which provides the timeframe for when state claims must be re-filed in state court after their dismissal from a federal action. In many cases, particularly employment discrimination cases,…

Read More SCOTUS Interprets Statute Relating to Timeframe For Refiling State Law Claims (Including For Employment Discrimination) When Federal Court Dismisses Them
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In McLane Co. v. E.E.O.C., No. 15-1248, 2017 WL 1199454 (U.S. Apr. 3, 2017), as revised (Apr. 3, 2017), the U.S. Supreme Court held that a district court’s decision to enforce or quash an EEOC subpoena should be reviewed for abuse of discretion, and not (as the Ninth Circuit held) de novo. The facts of the…

Read More SCOTUS Clarifies Standard For District Court Evaluation of EEOC Subpoenas in Employment Discrimination Cases
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In Green v. Brennan, No. 14-613, 578 U.S. ___ (decided May 23, 2016), the Supreme Court held that the 45-day statute of limitations “clock” for purposes of a federal employee’s “constructive discharge” claim begins running on the date of the employee’s resignation, rather than on the date of the alleged discriminatory actions prompting the employee’s…

Read More SCOTUS Holds That a Constructive Discharge Claim Accrues on the Resignation Date for Statute of Limitations Purposes
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