Disparate Impact & Enforcement Rollbacks: What’s the Tea in L&E?
Enforcement Priorities of the Second Trump Administration: The False Claims Act
#WorkforceWednesday®: New DOL Leadership, NLRB Quorum, EEOC Enforcement Priorities - Employment Law This Week®
#WorkforceWednesday®: How Will Trump’s Federal Changes Impact Employers? - Employment Law This Week®
Building Bridges – Rev. Al Sharpton’s Blueprint for Harlem’s Museum of Civil Rights
#WorkforceWednesday® - Key SCOTUS Decisions This Term for Employers - Employment Law This Week®
Webinar: Is Your DEI Policy Setting You Up for a Lawsuit?
DE Under 3: Title VII Prohibits Discriminatory Job Transfers Even Without Significant Harm, U.S. Supreme Court Unanimously Ruled
DE Under 3: EEOC Consent Decree Illustrated Enforcement Stance Regarding Natural Hair Texture & Race Discrimination
The Burr Broadcast: EEOC Strategic Enforcement Plan
#WorkforceWednesday: EEOC Enforcement Plan, California Expands Paid Sick Leave, and Strikes Across the Country - Employment Law This Week®
DE Under 3: U.S. EEOC Announced Year-End Litigation Round-Up for Fiscal Year 2023
#WorkforceWednesday: The Ripple Effect of the Supreme Court’s SFFA Ruling for Diversity in the Workplace - Employment Law This Week®
Employment Law Now VII-134-Panel Discussion on Supreme Court's Affirmative Action Ruling and the Impact on Employer DEI Programs
DE Under 3: Title VII Actionable Adverse Employment Actions Not Limited to Only “Ultimate” Employment Decisions
Supreme Court Miniseries: Religious Accommodation at Work
Employment Law Now VII-133 - Hot Summer Employment Law Developments
#WorkforceWednesday: SCOTUS Introduces Heightened Standard for Religious Accommodation, Rules Against Affirmative Action, Protects “Expressive” Services - Employment Law This Week®
Business Better Podcast Episode: Is DEI at Risk? Considerations on the US Supreme Court Ruling Against Affirmative Action Programs
DE Under 3: New Controversial Proposed Rule Affecting Title VII
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued guidance dated July 29, 2025, to all federal agencies and recipients of federal funding, reiterating the Trump Administration’s January directive that all programs, policies, and activities —...more
On May 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched its Civil Rights Fraud Initiative. This is a coordinated enforcement effort aimed at using the False Claims Act (FCA) to investigate and, where appropriate,...more
Significant attention has been given to President Trump’s actions regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and policies, but the impact of those actions on private sector employees has not been clear. On his...more
On January 21, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled, "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity" ("Order"). The Order is mainly aimed at rescinding Executive Order 11246, which was...more
The first month of President Trump’s second administration began with a flurry of Executive Orders, many of which directly affect various employment related issues. While many of the new administration’s Executive Orders (EO)...more
On January 21, 2025, President Donald Trump issued several executive orders (EOs) eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal government. One of those orders, “Ending Illegal Discrimination...more
On February 5, 2025, her first day in office, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued two memos explaining steps being taken by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to implement President Trump’s Executive Order 14173 of January 21,...more
As we reported previously, President Trump’s January 21 Executive Order (EO) 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” terminated certain affirmative action requirements applicable to...more
On January 21, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” This Executive Order is a major pivot in federal policy regarding affirmative action...more
“Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” (Order) is one of President Trump’s most recent executive orders. The Order was signed on January 21, 2025. The Order revoked Executive Order EO11246...more
The Trump Administration’s new Executive Order on “gender ideology extremism” signals a dramatic shift in federal policy that will impact workplace policies, benefits, and compliance obligations relating to transgender...more
A change in presidential administrations can influence federal enforcement agencies’ priorities, how they interpret laws and guidelines, and how they carry out enforcement. Consequently, the transition to the Trump...more
Ready or not, reporting season is right around the corner. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced that the 2022 EEO-Component 1 data collection will open on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, and the...more
On June 29, 2023, in a 6-3 decision authored by Chief Justice Roberts, Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, the U.S. Supreme Court (“Court” or “Supreme Court”) held that college and...more
On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in two cases challenging universities’ consideration of race as a factor in student admissions: Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of...more
Private companies doing business with the federal government won a major COVID-19-related victory recently when the Sixth Circuit held in Ciraci v. J.M. Smucker’s Co. that government contractors are not subject to...more
On March 31, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) rescinded a Trump Administration rule that provided a faith-based carve-out exempting federal contractors from compliance with certain...more
On October 31, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments for two controversial affirmative action cases against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC). While the legal...more
This is the first in a series of articles summarizing key topics discussed at Ward and Smith's 2021 Construction Conversations Webinar. Members of Ward and Smith's Government Relations and Labor and Employment teams...more
Improving diversity -- what's okay and what isn’t? Employers are creative and strategic when it comes to increasing workforce diversity. Sometimes, however, that creativity -- and the motivation to “move the needle” on...more
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) recently issued new FAQ guidance on how federal government contractors should treat non-binary employees (i.e., those who do not exclusively identify as either male...more
On June 15, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that refusing to hire, firing, or otherwise subjecting an individual to workplace discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity is the equivalent of...more
Private employers with federal contracts will soon be prohibited from requesting criminal history information from candidates at the onset of the hiring process; instead, they will have to wait until after an offer is made....more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more
As 2019 comes to an end, we are pleased to present our traditional End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” Lists. This year, we present our “To Do” Lists in four separate Employee Benefits Updates. This Part 1 covers year-end health...more