Return to Work: Employer-Mandated COVID-19 Vaccination Policies and Accommodating Employee Disabilities and Religious Beliefs
Big news dropped this week, and it’s one of those stories that makes my phone start buzzing with texts from clients, friends, and family asking: “Could the Supreme Court actually take away marriage equality?” Kim Davis, the...more
Earlier this month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement, commenced litigation against Rock Snowpark on July 2, 2025, for allegedly retaliating...more
The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor has raised new considerations for districts faced with requests from parents to excuse students from instruction they believe is at odds with their religious beliefs. ...more
On the final day of its term, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public schools must accommodate parents’ religious objections to certain instructional materials — in this case, LGBTQ+-inclusive storybooks used in elementary...more
In a 6-3 decision with the justices split along familiar ideological lines, the United States Supreme Court held on Friday, June 27, in Mahmoud v. Taylor, 606 U.S. ___ (2025) (Case No. 24-297)...more
This week we focus on a new case looking at the difficulties between balancing protections of religious belief with the rights and protections of LGBTQI+ individuals....more
Vicky Slade is an employment lawyer at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and co-leads the firm's DEI Counseling Practice. Vicky has extensive experience and training in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, including an Advanced...more
On April 29, 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released long-awaited Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace, No. 915.064 (the “Guidance"). This update is the first of its kind in 30...more
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) hopped on the bandwagon of employment law updates this week by updating its guidance to prevent workplace harassment. This guidance focuses on protecting covered employees...more
In a July 28, 2023 ruling, the Seventh Circuit has signaled that Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) seeking to enforce pronoun policies can expect to face increased scrutiny. Specifically, the Seventh Circuit vacated its...more
On July 16, Time (the publisher I once knew as Time Magazine) posted an article titled “The Implications of the Supreme Court’s 303 Creative Decision Are Already Being Felt.” The article says that in the first few days after...more
The New Jersey Division of Civil Rights (DCR) recently issued guidance on how the DCR will enforce the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis....more
Our July update includes cases on the dismissal of a devout Christian dismissed for gross misconduct for social media criticism of pro-LGBTQ+ teaching at schools, allowances that tribunals should make to litigants in person...more
In the 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis decision, the Supreme Court set back gains made by the LGBTQ+ community over the past decade. In a 6-3 decision, the nation’s highest Court answered a question about the balance of religious...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently ruled that prohibitions against discriminatory employment practices against the LGTBQ+ community under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are inapplicable to...more
In 303 Creative v. Elenis, the U.S. Supreme Court held that Colorado could not take legal action against a graphic designer who refused to create custom wedding websites for same-sex marriages because of her religious...more
The U.S. Supreme Court weighed the rights of LGBTQ+ people to be free from discrimination in the marketplace against a Colorado business owner’s right to free speech when it heard oral argument in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis...more