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Equal Protection › Civil Rights Act › Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

The Equal Protection Clause is a section of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution that provides that "no state shall...deny to any citizen within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the... more +
The Equal Protection Clause is a section of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution that provides that "no state shall...deny to any citizen within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Essentially, the Equal Protection Clause provides that the government must treat an individual the same way that it treats other individuals in the same circumstances. The 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause applies only to state governments, but the requirements of the clause apply to the federal government through the Due Process Clause of the 5th Amendment. less -
Ballard Spahr LLP

Texas Judge Strikes EEOC Guidance Protecting Transgender Employees

Ballard Spahr LLP on

A federal judge in Texas issued a decision on May 15, 2025, striking down portions of the EEOC’s Enforcement Guidance on protections against employment discrimination based on gender identity and/or sexual orientation....more

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

New Executive Order Seeks to Eliminate Disparate-Impact Liability

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On April 23, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) titled Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy.  This EO seeks to eliminate the use of disparate-impact liability in various contexts, arguing that...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Navigating DEI in a Shifting Legal Landscape

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs face more scrutiny than ever in light of President Trump’s recent executive orders regarding DEI policies and programs across the public and private sectors, recent...more

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

Supreme Court of the United States Poised to Clarify Standard in Discrimination Claims

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On February 26, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, a case that could alter the legal landscape for employment discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil...more

Whiteford

Employment Law Update: Supreme Court Hears Argument on Reverse Discrimination Claim with Implications for DEI

Whiteford on

Just as employers are reconsidering their approach to DEI and the myriad of potential risks such policies could present under current administration enforcement priorities, the Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a case...more

Whiteford

Employment Law Update: What Employers and Educational Institutions Need to Know about the Attorney General’s February 5th Memo on...

Whiteford on

On February 5, 2025, the U.S. Attorney General (“AG”) Pam Bondi issued a memorandum to all Justice Department employees titled “Ending Illegal DEI and DEIA Discrimination and Preferences,” outlining the Department of...more

Allen Matkins

Does Chicago's Municipal Code Make Everyone A Minority?

Allen Matkins on

Recent posts have discussed a registration statement filed Bally's Chicago, Inc. for an offering that would impose a stockholder qualification based on race, gender and ethnic status.  This qualification requirement is...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

Attorney General Issues Memo Stating that Illegal DEI and DEIA Programs in Private Sector Will Be Prosecuted

CDF Labor Law LLP on

The day after her nomination was confirmed last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memorandum to all Department of Justice employees on Wednesday, February 5th, stating that the USDOJ’s Civil Rights Division will begin...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

What to Know About the War Being Waged Against DEI

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP on

Can you still have DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs? How about affirmative action plans? The Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard garnered national attention in holding...more

Paul Hastings LLP

The Defending Women Executive Order Presents Potential Clash Between Federal and State Antidiscrimination Law

Paul Hastings LLP on

On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” (Defending Women EO). The Defending Women...more

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

The Trump Transformation – Major Shifts in EEOC and Employment Law

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP on

Less than 24 hours after assuming the presidency, Donald Trump announced significant changes in the leadership and focus of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), as well as other policy changes which will...more

Rumberger | Kirk

Should Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policies Vanish After Landmark Supreme Court Ruling?

Rumberger | Kirk on

Last June, the United States Supreme Court held in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard Coll that affirmative action policies at universities violate the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Religious Institutions Update: January 2024

Holland & Knight LLP on

Failure to Extend Extracurricular Opportunities to Parochial School Students Violates Free Exercise In Religious Rights Foundation of Pa. v. State College Area Sch. Dist., No. 23-CV-01144, 2023 WL 8359957 (M.D. Pa. Dec. 1,...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Caution Advised: Use of DEI Performance Goals in Incentive Compensation

Foley & Lardner LLP on

Recent court decisions have ruled that certain race-based college admissions programs violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. While these decisions do not apply directly to...more

Rumberger | Kirk

How HR Can Navigate The Post-Affirmative Action Landscape

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From campus to corporate - Highlights: The Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling may influence workplace diversity efforts significantly. Title VII implications from the Equal Protection Clause interpretation...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Corporate DEI Policies Face Scrutiny Following SCOTUS Affirmative Action Decision

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP on

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-based affirmative action in higher education in June 2023, effectively foreclosing the consideration of race in and of itself in that context. Although the Court’s decision was...more

Proskauer Rose LLP

Implications of U.S. Supreme Court Decision Overturning Affirmative Action Precedent in Higher Education

Proskauer Rose LLP on

On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina...more

Mitratech Holdings, Inc

Supreme Court Strikes Down Affirmative Action in College Admissions

Mitratech Holdings, Inc on

On Thurs. June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious admissions policies are unconstitutional and invoked the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, stating that Harvard’s and UNC’s admissions programs...more

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

The Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling: A Shift in How Private Employers Approach DEI?

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

The Supreme Court of the United States’ recent decision to strike down affirmative action admissions policies in higher education is having significant indirect consequences for private employers and their diversity, equity,...more

Butler Snow LLP

Reviewing Workplace DEI Practices in Light of Students for Fair Admissions Ruling

Butler Snow LLP on

On June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court found affirmative action in the college admissions programs of two well-known universities to be unconstitutional. Despite the opinion only addressing two specific college...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

What Does Affirmative Action’s Death Knell Mean for Employers?

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP on

At the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows Of Harvard College, Nos. 20-1199 & 21-707, 2023 WL 4239254 (U.S. June 29, 2023), outlawed race-based...more

Lathrop GPM

Supreme Court Restricts Use of Race in College Admissions; Decision Could Impact Employers as Well

Lathrop GPM on

On June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling sharply restricting the use of race in college admissions. The Court’s decision immediately reshaped the landscape of student affirmative action...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Potential Private Sector Implications of the Supreme Court's Affirmative Action Ruling

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The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the cases Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina upended prior...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Does the U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on College Admissions Have Implications for Corporate DEI Initiatives?

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In the aftermath of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down the race-conscious admissions systems of two universities in a six-to-three decision (the “SFFA Decision”), commentators are asking about the impact of...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Does SCOTUS decision on affirmative action put employers’ DEI efforts at risk?

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On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court held that admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by using...more

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