What constitutes “illegal DEI” under the Trump administration? Many employers have been wrestling with this question since the President took office and immediately issued several executive orders (EOs) criticizing diversity,...more
On April 23, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14281, Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy (the “EO”).
This EO states its purpose as a solution to claims of employment discrimination based on...more
Just days after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit stayed a preliminary injunction blocking executive orders that refer to the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion as “illegal DEI,” the U.S. Equal...more
3/24/2025
/ Affirmative Action ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Orders ,
Title VII
President Donald Trump has made several significant and sudden changes at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC” or “the Commission”), the agency responsible for enforcing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of...more
2/12/2025
/ Affirmative Action ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Orders ,
NLRB ,
Title VII ,
Trump Administration
In recent years, advocates and lawmakers have been pushing to expand the reach of “ban-the-box” measures designed to remove job barriers for individuals with criminal convictions....more
This week, we’re recapping the last year of the Dobbs decision:
June 24, 2023, marks exactly one year since the widely controversial Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision by the United States Supreme Court...more
It is time to update your workplace signage. On October 19, 2022, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a new workers’ rights poster, which it quickly revised and re-issued on October 20, 2022. The...more
Employers in New York State should be aware of recent new laws as well as some pending bills, all of which seek to bolster harassment and discrimination protections for employees. As detailed below, New York Governor Kathy...more
On March 14, 2022, the EEOC issued a technical assistance document, The COVID-19 Pandemic and Caregiver Discrimination Under Federal Employment Discrimination Laws, which provides guidance as to ways equal employment...more
On January 10, 2021, Int. 1314-A (“Law”) was enacted, and it goes into effect on July 28, 2021. The Law significantly expands job applicants’ protections under New York City’s Fair Chance Act (“FCA”), otherwise known as the...more
3/11/2021
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
New York ,
State and Local Government
Among other provisions, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (“USERRA”) mandates that covered employers generally must provide employees on USERRA leave with the same “rights and benefits”...more
With regulators and lawmakers struggling to address the new wave of issues arising from employers reopening and bringing employees back to their workplaces, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC” or...more
Effective August 25, 2020, Suffolk County, New York, will become the state’s fifth locality to enact a “ban the box” law. Similar to measures adopted by Buffalo, Rochester, and Westchester County, Suffolk County’s Fair...more
An amendment to the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”) that expands “employment” protections for freelancers and independent contractors (“Law”) became effective January 11, 2020. The New York City Commission on Human...more
2/10/2020
/ Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
NYCCHR ,
NYCHRL ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Sexual Harassment
On November 8, 2019, Governor Cuomo signed A584/S660 (“Law”) into law, one bill in a series of legislation meant to protect reproductive health rights. Under the Law, all New York employers are prohibited from discriminating...more
12/5/2019
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Human Rights Code ,
New Legislation ,
Reproductive Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws
The New York City Commission on Human Rights (“the Commission”) published a legal enforcement guidance (“Guidance”) clarifying its standards with respect to discrimination based on actual or perceived immigration status and...more
10/31/2019
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Commission on Human Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Status Discrimination ,
Independent Contractors ,
Job Applicants ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
NYCHRL ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
In 2017 and 2018, Illinois lawmakers tried twice to close the gender pay gap by prohibiting employers from seeking information about an applicant’s salary history and expanding existing pay equity protections. Both attempts...more
9/30/2019
/ Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Governor Pritzker ,
Governor Rauner ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On August 9, 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a sweeping piece of legislation, SB 75, enacted as Public Act 101-0221 (“SB 75”). Among other measures, SB 75 (i) imposes a sexual harassment training...more
8/19/2019
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Domestic Violence ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Governor Pritzker ,
Hospitality Industry ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws
On January 20, 2019, Int. No. 863-A (“Law”), which, among other things, prohibits employment discrimination based on an individual’s sexual and reproductive health choices, became law following the New York City Council’s...more