News & Analysis as of

Title VII Religious Accommodation Employment Policies

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1964 and aimed at preventing discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, and religion. Title VII... more +
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1964 and aimed at preventing discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, and religion. Title VII has been subsequently extended to discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and sexual stereotypes and to prohibit sexual harassment. Title VII applies to all employers with fifteen or more employees including private employers, state and local governments, and educational institutions.  less -
A&O Shearman

Comparing U.S. And UK Approaches to Religious Expression at Work: Lessons From Recent Developments

A&O Shearman on

Regulators and courts in both the U.S. and UK have been seeking to navigate the complex balance between employees’ rights to religious expression and employers’ interests. In particular, recent developments—namely, two U.S....more

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

New Federal Religious Expression and Accommodations Guidance May Impact Private Employers

In July 2025, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued two important memos regarding religious accommodations and religious expression in federal workplaces. ...more

Woods Rogers

Navigating the New Normal: Revisiting Your Workplace Dress Code

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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

Cozen O'Connor

Facial Hair, Firefighters, and Free Exercise

Cozen O'Connor on

A single exception can now unravel your entire workplace safety policy. The Third Circuit's decision on May 30, 2025, in Smith v. Atlantic City, underscores how even minor exceptions to grooming or masking rules can expose...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

Balancing Beliefs and Business: What Employers Need to Know About Religious Accommodations in the Workplace

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As modern workplaces grow increasingly diverse, employers must be prepared to accommodate employees’ religious practices and observations in a respectful, inclusive, and lawful manner. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of...more

Holland & Hart LLP

New Rules for Public Employers, Courtesy of the Wyoming Legislature

Holland & Hart LLP on

The Wyoming Legislature has wrapped up its 2025 session, but not before adopting several new laws governing public employers. Three of these laws were not specifically drafted as employment laws, but will have significant...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Finding Religion on a Motion to Dismiss: Federal Court Concludes that Plaintiff’s Secular Concerns About COVID Vaccines Do Not...

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In a dispute over workplace vaccination requirements, a federal district court in Oregon joined a growing trend in workplace vaccination litigation when it ruled that a plaintiff’s allegations of religious conflict with...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Quorum-Less EEOC and New Acting Chair: What Are the Impacts for Employers?

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The start of the second Trump Administration has brought significant changes to many areas of employment law, including to federal agencies, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is no exception. Some moves...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

What a Potential EEOC Shift in Emphasis on Religious Discrimination Claims Could Mean for Employers

With the transition to the new administration in Washington taking place later this month, how could this change affect the enforcement priorities of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission? These priorities shift every...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Mandatory COVID Testing Did Not Violate Employee's Religious Beliefs

Lawsuits challenging employers' authority to require measures intended to prevent COVID-19 infections continue to wend their way through the federal judiciary. Last month, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a claim...more

Conn Maciel Carey LLP

[Webinar] The Latest in Employment Discrimination Laws - December 12th, 1:00 pm EST

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Employment discrimination in the workplace is alive and well. Indeed, according to Monster’s recent Workplace Discrimination Poll, only 9% of workers claim to have NOT faced some form of workplace discrimination. There have...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

EEOC: Employers Can't Require Proof of Validity for Religious Accommodation Requests

Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that it had reached a settlement agreement in a lawsuit filed against a Pennsylvania debt collection agency alleging failure to provide a religious...more

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

Prayers for Religious Holiday Time Off May Need to be Accommodated by Employers

Knowing several religious holidays are coming up soon, employers can take steps to avoid triggering religious discrimination and reasonable accommodation lawsuits. Consistently applying paid time off rules can help to prevent...more

Ward and Smith, P.A.

Deciphered Insights: Labor and Employment Legal Considerations

Ward and Smith, P.A. on

Five Ward and Smith attorneys provided updates related to employment law, including non-compete agreements, unionization efforts, pregnancy laws, and overtime rules for exempt employees, during the firm’s recent In-House...more

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

Federal Courts in Wisconsin and Kentucky Issue Decisions in Favor of Employers Facing COVID-19–Related Legal Issues

In September 2023, federal trial courts in Wisconsin and Kentucky issued decisions dismissing plaintiffs’ claims related to employers’ COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements....more

Holland & Hart - Employers' Lawyers

Worship in the Workplace and Reasonable Accommodations

Question: Do employers need to provide a space for employees to worship and/or pray in the office? Answer: The short answer is: Maybe.  Employers must reasonably accommodate employees’ sincerely held religious, ethical,...more

Fisher Phillips

SCOTUS 2023 Lookback and 2024 Preview: 7 Critical Decisions All Employers Should Review and 3 New Cases to Track

Fisher Phillips on

The Supreme Court’s blockbuster decisions last term dominated the headlines – and many rulings will have a lasting impact on employer practices. The Justices continued to shape the workplace law landscape by ruling on an...more

Dickinson Wright

Religious Accommodation in a Post-Groff Employment Landscape

Dickinson Wright on

As the Supreme Court’s session was concluding, the Supreme Court issued Groff v. DeJoy, Postmaster General, No. 22-174 (June 29, 2023), an opinion that changes the employment landscape as it pertains to religious...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

The Fifth Circuit Recognizes a “Super Statute” for Religious For-Profit Employers

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: In Braidwood Management, Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Fifth Circuit endorsed for-profit employers integrating their religious beliefs into their employment policies to apply the...more

Butler Snow LLP

Employers Need to Prepare for New Religious Accommodation Requests

Butler Snow LLP on

Religious accommodation historically - Employers are quite familiar with the concept of “accommodation;” however, for the last 46 years they have not had to spend much time or effort dealing with an employee’s request to...more

Miller & Martin PLLC

U.S. Supreme Court Prepares to Adjourn by Issuing Two Highly Anticipated Decisions Involving Affirmative Action and Religious...

Miller & Martin PLLC on

June 30 will mark the end of the 2022-2023 U.S. Supreme Court term. The high court has a penchant for issuing highly anticipated decisions during the last few days of the term, such as overturning Roe v. Wade last year in a...more

Venable LLP

Separation of Church and Cubicle: Supreme Court Considers Increasing Burden on Employers

Venable LLP on

How far must employers go to accommodate their employees' sincerely held religious beliefs? Last month, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Groff v. DeJoy, a case that asks the Justices to answer this very question—and...more

Laner Muchin, Ltd.

When Does a Requested Religious Accommodation Pose an Undue Hardship?

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In a recent opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reiterated the standards for balancing an employee’s religious accommodation request against the potential undue hardship that such a request may impose...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP - Left Coast Appeals

This Week At The Ninth: Religious Beliefs and Loyalty Oaths

This week, the Court addresses whether a state may refuse a religious accommodation to a government employee who is required to sign a loyalty oath as a condition of employment....more

McGuireWoods LLP

Supreme Court to Revisit De Minimis Cost Test for Religious Accommodations Under Title VII

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On Jan. 13, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider whether the de minimis cost test for religious accommodations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 should endure. The Supreme Court granted the petition...more

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