DE Under 3: EEOC Consent Decree Illustrated Enforcement Stance Regarding Natural Hair Texture & Race Discrimination
Illegal or ill-mannered? Title VII meets Ms. Manners
Employment Law Now: Volume 3 Episode 45- Part 1 of 2 Back From The Summer Hiatus
The workplace landscape has shifted, and with it, employee attire. As employees return to the office, many opt for more casual wear, such as jeans and polo shirts, or even summer-appropriate clothing like tank tops and...more
On July 24, 2024, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Hon. Pedro Pierluisi, signed into law Senate Bill 1282, the Law Against Discrimination Based on Hair Styles. This law adopts as public policy the express prohibition of...more
Colorado recently amended its CROWN Act of 2020 to include hair length as a protected characteristic for purposes of the state’s nondiscrimination law....more
The state of Texas is experiencing some Texas-size changes in discrimination and harassment law, including changes to where claims can be filed, who can sue whom, and what standards are used. Join Houston office managing...more
Although not widespread, ordinances prohibiting discrimination based on natural hairstyles and textures are not completely foreign to Florida, and amidst a perceived rise in “anti-wokeness,” employers in the Sunshine State...more
Governor Greg Abbott recently signed House Bill No. 567, also known as the CROWN Act, into law. Following the bill’s enactment on September 1, 2023, Texas law will prohibit race-based hair discrimination in employment,...more
On June 17, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (“PHRC”) passed new regulations under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (“PHRA”) that will go into effect on Aug. 16. The PHRA prohibits discrimination in employment...more
Michigan is the latest state to expand its legal definition of race as a protected class to include hairstyle descriptors. As we recently explained, legislation with the acronym for “Creating a Respectful and Open Work for...more
On June 15, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill into law amending Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (“ELCRA”) to expand the definition of race to ban natural hairstyle discrimination. The amendment went...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Natural hairstyles have become increasingly popular among Black Americans of both sexes. Despite their popularity, these hairstyles have been overregulated frequently in the workplace. To address this...more
On June 15, 2023, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bill 90, which amends the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (“ELCRA”) to prohibit discrimination based on traits historically associated with race, such as hair...more
In recent years, there has been a growing movement to ban discrimination against natural hairstyles. This movement was cultivated by the introduction of the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (“CROWN”) Act,...more
Texas has now joined 20 other states and various local jurisdictions that ban discrimination based on hairstyle through the Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act (the “CROWN Act”), which will go into...more
On May 12, 2023, Lexington became the fourth city in Kentucky to protect hairstyles under its local anti-discrimination ordinances. The Lexington CROWN Act (Ordinance No. 49-2023), an acronym for "Creating a Respectful and...more
On April 13, 2023, the Texas House of Representatives passed House Bill 567, known as the Texas CROWN Act, that would prohibit race-based discrimination in schools, workplaces, and housing. The Texas legislation is a state...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Minnesota becomes the latest of a growing number of states to enact CROWN Act legislation, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of hair textures and hairstyles. Its enactment expands Minnesota...more
The Minnesota legislature recently passed a bill that will prohibit discrimination against a person based on hair texture and hair styles that are associated with race. Approximately 20 states have passed similar measures,...more
Minnesota is poised to join at least 19 other states in enacting a CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.” The Act, which in Minnesota would come in the form of brief but...more
The trend of increasing workplace regulations by state and local governments continued throughout the fourth quarter of 2022. Although it is not possible to discuss all state and local laws, this update provides an overview...more
The Massachusetts Crown Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” is a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination. The purpose of the Crown Act is to prohibit the denial of...more
The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (the CROWN Act or the Act) went into effect in Louisiana on August 1, 2022. The CROWN Act prohibits employment discrimination based on hairstyles and hair textures...more
On August 8, 2022, three pieces of newly enacted state legislation go into effect, directly impacting private employers operating within the state. First, along with a number of other states,1 Maine has enacted Creating a...more
On Tuesday, July 26th, Massachusetts took another significant step towards building an inclusive society when Governor Baker signed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (the “CROWN Act”) into law. The...more
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law House Bill 4554 – commonly referred to as the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (“CROWN”) Act – which bans discrimination based on natural...more
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed House Bill No. 4554, “An Act Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Natural and Protective Hairstyles” (“the Act”) into law, which goes into effect on Monday, October...more