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Civil Rights Act Split of Authority Appeals

Holland & Knight LLP

U.S. Supreme Court Holds No Higher Standard for "Majority Group" Discrimination Claims

Holland & Knight LLP on

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision on June 5, 2025, resolving a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit split in the matter of Ames v. Ohio Dep't. of Youth Servs., 605 U.S. ____ (2025). The Supreme Court...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

Supreme Court Clarifies Race Discrimination Claims Under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 Must Meet More Stringent “But-For” Causation Standard

Bringing positive news for employers and a welcome distraction from the COVID-19 crisis, the United States Supreme Court recently held that for claims of racial discrimination under Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of...more

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

National Employment Perspective | Focus on Discrimination

Supreme Court Issues Unanimous Opinion Upholding But-For Causation in Section 1981 Discrimination Cases - The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a unanimous opinion holding that a plaintiff who sues for racial discrimination in...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Supreme Court Requires But-For Causation for Section 1981 Claims

On March 23, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States, in Comcast Corp. v. National Association of African-American Owned Media, ruled that a plaintiff who alleges race discrimination under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 must plead and...more

Fisher Phillips

SCOTUS Sets High Bar For Those Bringing Race Discrimination Cases

Fisher Phillips on

In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court last week ensured that a high standard will be used when assessing whether claims of race discrimination under Section 1981 should advance past the early stages of litigation....more

McAfee & Taft

U.S. Supreme Court confirms ‘but for’ causation in Section 1981 cases

McAfee & Taft on

Surrounded by the confusion and anxiety of the current COVID-19 pandemic, it may feel refreshing to step back and consider some of the basic tenets of employment law. The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Comcast Corp....more

Hinshaw & Culbertson - Employment Law...

U.S. Supreme Court Holds Section 1981 Racial Discrimination Claims Require But-For Causation

In a unanimous decision issued on March 23, 2020, the United States Supreme Court held that a but-for causation standard applies to claims brought under Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The Supreme Court also...more

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Supreme Court Confirms Strict “But for” Causation Test Applies to Section 1981 Claims

On Monday, March 23, the United States Supreme Court, in a nearly unanimous opinion, ruled that a plaintiff asserting race discrimination claims in the making of a contract under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (Section 1981) bears the...more

Franczek P.C.

Supreme Court Holds that Claims for Intentional Discrimination Under Section 1981 Must Meet “But For” Causation Test

Franczek P.C. on

Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act prohibits intentional race discrimination in all forms of contracting including employment. Lower courts have split as to whether a § 1981 plaintiff must prove that race was only one...more

Snell & Wilmer

Fort Bend County v. Davis: SCOTUS Bends Employers' Defense to Title VII Claims, But Doesn't Break It

Snell & Wilmer on

On June 3, 2019, the United States Supreme Court ("Supreme Court") unanimously held in Fort Bend County v. Davis that federal courts may be able to hear claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title...more

Proskauer - Law and the Workplace

[Podcast]: Recent Developments in Title VII

In this episode of The Proskauer Brief, senior counsel Harris Mufson and associate Laura Fant discuss the latest developments in Title VII. We will discuss the two recent circuit court decisions concerning the scope of sex...more

Poyner Spruill LLP

Second Circuit and Seventh Circuit are in Agreement - Sex Discrimination Includes Sexual Orientation

Poyner Spruill LLP on

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued an opinion in Zarda v. Altitude Express and held that Title VII provides protection from discrimination and harassment because of an individual’s sexual orientation. The...more

Harris Beach Murtha PLLC

Court Rules on Sexual Orientation Discrimination

On February 26, 2018, the Federal appellate court covering New York State ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees from discrimination based on their sexual orientation. The case is Zarda v....more

McAfee & Taft

With yet another court ruling sexual orientation discrimination unlawful, Supreme Court expected to weigh in

McAfee & Taft on

Courts have disagreed on whether an employer discriminating against an employee based upon their sexual orientation violates federal anti-discrimination laws. Yesterday’s ruling by a New York federal appeals court means this...more

McAfee & Taft

SCOTUS declines to determine whether Title VII covers sexual orientation

McAfee & Taft on

In a bit of a surprise move, the U.S. Supreme Court today passed on an opportunity to provide some long-awaited clarity on the interplay between sexual orientation and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In Evans v....more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

Second Circuit Denies Latest Request for En Banc Review in Title VII Sexual Orientation Discrimination Case

The Second Circuit has denied a plaintiff’s request to rehear argument en banc (that is, before all of the court’s judges) in a case alleging that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on...more

Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

Sexual Orientation Discrimination and Title VII - The Seventh Circuit Weighs In

In July 2015, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") published a guidance titled What You Should Know About EEOC and the Enforcement Protections for LGBT Workers, which took the position that employment...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

Second Circuit Orders En Banc Review of Panel Holding that Title VII Does Not Prohibit Sexual Orientation Discrimination

We previously discussed the conflict between a Second Circuit panel’s holding in April that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act did not prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and the Seventh Circuit’s...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

Second Circuit Panel: No, We Still Can’t Overturn Precedent on Sexual Orientation Discrimination

As we observed in a recent post on the Seventh Circuit’s decision in Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College extending Title VII to sexual orientation claims, the Supreme Court will probably have to resolve the disagreement...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

Seventh Circuit Rules Title VII Bars Sexual Orientation Discrimination, Creating Circuit Split and Setting Stage for Likely...

In a landmark en banc decision rejecting its earlier panel ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit became the first federal appellate court to hold that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits...more

Payne & Fears

The 7th Circuit's Landmark Anti-Gay Discrimination Ruling

Payne & Fears on

On April 4, 2017, an en banc decision in Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College, the Seventh Circuit became the first federal Court of Appeals to hold that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on...more

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP

Can Employers Discriminate Against Employees Based on Sexual Orientation? No, According to this Key Court

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP on

Federal law—specifically, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on a number of protected characteristics, including sex, race, national origin, and religion....more

Womble Bond Dickinson

Federal Appeals Court Rules Sexual Orientation Is Protected Class

Womble Bond Dickinson on

In a significant decision that expands the rights of employees, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled on April 4, 2017 that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination...more

Proskauer - Law and the Workplace

Seventh Circuit Becomes First Federal Court of Appeals to Hold That Sexual Orientation Discrimination Is Prohibited Under Title...

In an 8-3 en banc decision in Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, the Seventh Circuit has held that discrimination based on sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination under Title VII. In so holding, the...more

Fisher Phillips

Landmark Appeals Court Ruling Extends Title VII Protections To LGBT Employees

Fisher Phillips on

Groundbreaking Decision Could Lead Other Federal Courts To Follow Suit - This week, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals became the first federal court of appeals in the nation to rule that sexual orientation claims are...more

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