Discrimination

  • January 13, 2026

    Blue States Say HHS Conditions Funding On Anti-Trans Bias

    A dozen Democratic state attorneys general sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, claiming the agency's threat to withhold billions of dollars in funding from states that don't hew to an executive order declaring that gender is immutable conflicts with antidiscrimination law.

  • January 13, 2026

    NJ Gov. Says Ex-Elections Chief's Admission Fatal To Case

    New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told a state court judge that a suit by former elections chief Jeffrey Brindle should be completely dismissed because his decision to write a satirical article in his official capacity invalidates his First Amendment claim as it applies to his continued employment in the role.

  • January 13, 2026

    Firm Can't Shake Legal Assistant's Pregnancy Bias Suit

    A legal assistant's suit accusing a New Mexico-based personal injury law firm of forcing her to resign she disclosed her pregnancy will head to trial to determine whether there were multiple contracts at stake, a federal magistrate judge said.

  • January 13, 2026

    Civil Rights Groups Knock Potential EEOC Voting Changes

    The AFL-CIO, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups warned that proposed changes to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's voting procedures would amount to a "power grab" by the agency's Republican chair.

  • January 12, 2026

    Sen. Kelly Sues Hegseth Over Alleged Retaliation For Remarks

    Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Monday, urging a D.C. federal court to declare unlawful Hegseth's attempt to reduce the lawmaker's Navy rank over statements reminding service members of their obligation to disregard unlawful orders.

  • January 12, 2026

    Ex-Security Guard Details Sexual Assault In Harassment Suit

    A former security officer broke into tears on the witness stand Monday as she told an Atlanta federal jury about an alleged sexual assault she said she suffered at the hands of her former employer's then-vice president of operations.

  • January 12, 2026

    UPS Gets Win In Black Ex-Driver's Fla. Race Bias Suit

    A Florida federal judge ruled in favor of UPS after the company was sued for alleged racial discrimination over firing one of its delivery drivers, who is Black, saying the former employee was terminated for misconduct. 

  • January 12, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Lack Of Comparators Dooms UPS Sex Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit declined Monday to revive a suit from a trio of UPS workers who claimed an "old boys' club" culture left women with subpar pay and medical accommodations, ruling they failed to identify comparable men who received better treatment.

  • January 12, 2026

    Apple Hit With Disability Discrimination Lawsuit

    Apple discriminated against a senior adviser with multiple disabilities, forcing her to take a demotion to a lower-paid position in order to keep working remotely and ultimately created a hostile work environment, according to a suit now in Colorado federal court.

  • January 12, 2026

    University Of Colorado Paid Women Faculty Less, Suit Says

    The University of Colorado at Denver has been paying female faculty significantly less than their male counterparts even after internal audits revealed a pay gap, according to a proposed class action filed in Denver County district court alleging state equal pay law violations.

  • January 12, 2026

    1st Circ. Shuts Down Ferry Workers' Vax Mandate Challenge

    The First Circuit refused to block a ferry service operator's COVID-19 vaccination requirement despite workers' claims that religious exemption requests were unlawfully denied, finding the policy did not treat secular exemption requests more favorably.

  • January 12, 2026

    Wilson Sports Co., Worker End Paternity Leave Firing Suit

    A Minnesota federal court tossed a suit Monday from a former Wilson Sporting Goods Co. employee who alleged the company fired him for taking parental leave in violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act, with the dismissal coming after the parties disclosed a settlement earlier this month.

  • January 12, 2026

    Ex‑NJ Judge's Trial Postponed Amid Police Immunity Appeal

    A New Jersey federal civil rights suit brought by a former state court judge against Woodbridge Township and two police officers stalled Monday, just days before a trial was set to commence, after the officers filed an interlocutory appeal challenging the court's refusal to grant them qualified immunity.

  • January 12, 2026

    High Court Turns Away Texas Tech Prof's Retaliation Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined a Texas Tech University professor's invitation Monday to review a Fifth Circuit ruling that found a former business school dean did not have to face the instructor's retaliation suit claiming he faced professional blowback for his anti-tenure opinions.

  • January 12, 2026

    High Court Turns Down Chance To Review McDonnell Douglas

    The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an invitation Monday by a former medical school dean to rethink a five-decade-old precedent for evaluating discrimination claims that several conservative justices have recently indicated should get a fresh look.

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Pass On Houston Hospital Workers' COVID Vax Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a challenge to a Houston hospital's win in a lawsuit brought by a group of employees who said they were unlawfully terminated after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Won't Weigh Collective Cert. Process In Eli Lilly Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to review whether courts should stick with a long-standing two-step analysis for certifying collective actions in an age discrimination case against Eli Lilly and Co. that could have affected wage and hour litigation.

  • January 09, 2026

    Up Next At High Court: Pollution Lawsuits & Trans Athletes

    The U.S. Supreme Court will kick off the new year by hearing disputes over the constitutionality of state laws banning transgender female athletes from female-only sports and whether state or federal courts are the proper forum for lawsuits seeking to hold major oil companies accountable for harm caused by their oil production activities along Louisiana's coast. 

  • January 09, 2026

    Ill. Judge Refuses Fla. United Pilot's Vax Mandate Case

    An Illinois federal judge who has handled several employment disputes over United Airlines' allegedly illegal handling of COVID-19 vaccination policy exemption requests said Friday that he's "done" adding more to his plate as he rejected the airline's request to accept a pilot's case recently transferred from Florida.

  • January 09, 2026

    EEOC's Quiet Guidance Repeal Just The 'Opening Salvo'

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's swift approach to retracting workplace harassment guidance promulgated under the Biden administration may shed light on how the EEOC will handle future guidance rescissions, experts say, despite questions about whether the strategy comports with agency procedures.

  • January 09, 2026

    Worker's Poor Performance Dooms Bias Suit, 4th Circ. Says

    The Fourth Circuit declined to revive a Black USPS worker's retaliation suit claiming her white boss crafted a paper trail to oust her after she filed a race bias complaint against him, ruling Friday that she couldn't overcome evidence that her repeated performance issues got her temporarily fired, not bias.

  • January 09, 2026

    Ex-CTA Bus Driver's Disability Bias Claims Will Go To Trial

    An Illinois federal judge Thursday refused to grant summary judgment to the Chicago Transit Authority on a former bus driver's disparate treatment and failure to accommodate claims, clearing the way for the dispute over her 2022 firing to go to trial in April.

  • January 09, 2026

    Seyfarth Names New Labor & Employment Chair In Seattle

    One of the youngest equity partners in Seyfarth Shaw LLP's 80-year history has been named chair of the firm's labor and employment practice for the Seattle office, the firm has announced.

  • January 09, 2026

    Food Service Co. Can't Sink Fired Manager's Sex Bias Suit

    A New Jersey federal judge narrowed but refused to toss a suit alleging a dining services company fired a district manager for calling out its boys club culture, leaving it up to a jury to decide whether the company's stated reason for her firing was a smokescreen for discrimination.

  • January 09, 2026

    DirecTV Gets Laid-Off Worker's Bias Suit Kicked To Arbitration

    A federal judge sent a former DirecTV senior e-commerce director's lawsuit over alleged age and gender discrimination during a workforce reduction to arbitration, unswayed by her claim that she was unaware of an agreement to handle disputes out of court.

Expert Analysis

  • After Chevron: EEOC Status Quo Will Likely Continue

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    As the legal landscape adjusts to the end of Chevron deference, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s rulemaking authority isn’t likely to shift as much as some other employment-related agencies, says Paige Lyle at FordHarrison.

  • After Chevron: Various Paths For Labor And Employment Law

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    Labor and employment law leans heavily on federal agency guidance, so the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to toss out Chevron deference will ripple through this area, with future workplace policies possibly taking shape through strategic litigation, informal guidance, state-level regulation and more, says Alexander MacDonald at Littler.

  • FIFA Maternity Policy Shows Need For Federal Paid Leave

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    While FIFA and other employers taking steps to provide paid parental leave should be applauded, the U.S. deserves a red card for being the only rich nation in the world that offers no such leave, says Dacey Romberg at Sanford Heisler.

  • What 2 Rulings On Standing Mean For DEI Litigation

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    Recent federal court decisions in the Fearless Fund and Hello Alice cases shed new light on the ongoing wave of challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, with opposite conclusions on whether the plaintiffs had standing to sue, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Eye On Compliance: A Brief History Of Joint Employer Rules

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    It's important to examine the journey of the joint employer rule, because if the National Labor Relations Board's Fifth Circuit appeal is successful and the 2023 version is made law, virtually every employer who contracts for labor likely could be deemed a joint employer, say Bruno Katz and Robert Curtis at Wilson Elser.

  • Top 5 Issues For Employers To Audit Midyear

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    Six months into 2024, developments from federal courts and regulatory agencies should prompt employers to reflect on their progress regarding artificial intelligence, noncompetes, diversity initiatives, religious accommodation and more, say Allegra Lawrence-Hardy and Lisa Haldar at Lawrence & Bundy.

  • Tailoring Compliance Before AI Walks The Runway

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    Fashion industry players that adopt artificial intelligence to propel their businesses forward should consider ways to minimize its perceived downsides, including potential job displacements and algorithmic biases that may harm diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, say Jeffrey Greene and Ivory Djahouri at Foley & Lardner.

  • Where Anti-Discrimination Law Stands 4 Years After Bostock

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    On the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Bostock ruling, Evan Parness and Abby Rickeman at Covington take stock of how the decision, which held that Title VII protects employees from discrimination because of their sexual orientation and gender identity, has affected anti-discrimination law at the state and federal levels.

  • Politics In The Workplace: What Employers Need To Know

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    As the 2024 election approaches and protests continue across the country, employers should be aware of employees' rights — and limits on those rights — related to political speech and activities in the workplace, and be prepared to act proactively to prevent issues before they arise, say attorneys at Littler.

  • What High Court Ruling Means For Sexual Harassment Claims

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    In its recent Smith v. Spizzirri decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a district court compelling a case to arbitration is obligated to stay the case rather than dismissing it, but this requirement may result in sexual harassment cases not being heard by appellate courts, says Abe Melamed at Signature Resolution.

  • 5 Steps For Gov't Contractor Affirmative Action Verification

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    As the federal contractor affirmative action program certification deadline approaches, government contractors and subcontractors should take steps to determine their program obligations, and ensure any required plans are properly implemented and timely registered, say Christopher Wilkinson at Perkins Coie and Joanna Colosimo at DCI Consulting.

  • New OSHA Memo Helps Clarify Recordkeeping Compliance

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    Based on recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidance on whether musculoskeletal disorders are recordable injuries under the agency's recordkeeping regulation, it appears that OSHA may target active release techniques and stretching programs during its inspections, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Cos. Must Stay On Alert With Joint Employer Rule In Flux

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    While employers may breathe a sigh of relief at recent events blocking the National Labor Relations Board's proposed rule that would make it easier for two entities to be deemed joint employers, the rule is not yet dead, say attorneys at ​​​​​​​Day Pitney.