News & Analysis as of

Title VII Supreme Court of the United States Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College

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 -
Smith Anderson

SCOTUS Rejects Extra Burden for Majority-Group Plaintiffs in Title VII Cases

Smith Anderson on

On June 5, 2025, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, significantly impacting how majority-group discrimination claims are evaluated under Title VII of the...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Water Cooler Talk: ‘Late Night’ Shows DEI Is More Than Optics

Troutman Pepper Locke on

The 2019 film “Late Night,” written by and starring Mindy Kaling, tells the story of a late-night talk show host, Katherine Newbury, played by Emma Thompson, whose all-male, all-white writing staff scrambles to add a female...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

“Reverse Discrimination” Cases Subject to Same Evidentiary Standard Says Supreme Court

Can members of a majority group be subject to a heightened pleading standard for their Title VII discrimination claims? The United States Supreme Court answered this question with a unanimous “no” in Ames v. Ohio Department...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

U.S. Supreme Court Reconciles Circuit Split Regarding Standard for “Reverse Discrimination” Claims

On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, rejecting the “background circumstances” requirement multiple circuit courts of appeals have applied to Title...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

U.S. Supreme Court Reverses ‘Reverse’ Employment Discrimination Pleading Standard

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the “background circumstances” rule in “reverse” employment discrimination claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in a unanimous decision overturning...more

Adams & Reese

The Future of DEI Under Trump’s Second Administration

Adams & Reese on

Every time a new President is elected, we employment lawyers write an article of some version of “What to Expect.” Many of my colleagues have written excellent articles on this topic, and the Trump administration has given us...more

Baker Donelson

Unpacking the U.S. Attorney General's "Ending Illegal DEI and DEIA Discrimination Preferences" Memo

Baker Donelson on

The U.S. Attorney General's Office issued a Memorandum, on February 5, 2025, to the employees of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) directing the DOJ Civil Rights Division to "investigate, eliminate, and penalize illegal...more

Cozen O'Connor

Costco Urged by Republican AGs to Repeal DEI Policies

Cozen O'Connor on

A group of 19 Republican AGs announced that they have sent a letter to Costco Wholesale Corporation, warning that its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies may violate state and federal civil rights laws prohibiting...more

McGlinchey Stafford

Will DEI Programs Become Extinct Under the Trump Administration?

McGlinchey Stafford on

In an effort to embrace diversity and inclusion, many employers established Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. The look of these programs varied from company to company; however, many of the programs...more

Proskauer - Law and the Workplace

President Trump Issues Sweeping Executive Orders Aimed at DEI

In his inaugural address on Monday, January 20, 2025, President Trump declared, “We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based.” In the days that followed, President Trump has proceeded to issue a series of...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

SCOTUS Takes Up Reverse Discrimination Framework Under Title VII

The U.S. Supreme Court recently granted cert in a hotly contested case addressing the standards of proof applicable to reverse discrimination claims under Title VII. The case comes on the heels of the court’s decision last...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

The rise of “reverse” discrimination claims

Since the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Students for Fair Admission, we have observed an increase in “reverse” discrimination claims where members of a majority group, such as whites or males, allege discrimination...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

SCOTUS Takes Up Another Case With DEI Implications

Last week, the Supreme Court accepted review of Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services. The court will address a circuit split regarding the standard courts apply in discrimination claims brought by majority group...more

Paul Hastings LLP

SCOTUS to Review Standard for Pursuit of Title VII Reverse Discrimination Cases

Paul Hastings LLP on

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, reverse discrimination...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

The man who said "no" to DEI training, and four lessons for employers

Employer's DEI mandate scores a win. A white guy refused to take his employer's mandatory "unconscious bias" training, and he was fired. He sued the employer for retaliation, his lawsuit was dismissed, and this week an...more

Morgan Lewis

DEI and Best Practices in Corporate America: Harvard/UNC One Year Later

Morgan Lewis on

All eyes were on the US Supreme Court in June 2023 as the justices were poised to issue their decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard & UNC. As colleges and universities awaited the decision and wondered what it...more

Proskauer Rose LLP

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: When Employers’ Good Intentions Inadvertently Create Increased Risk

Proskauer Rose LLP on

Employment lawsuits typically involve allegations of an employer’s wrongdoing – claims that the employer or its agents intended to and did mistreat, discriminate, or retaliate against employees. However, these “bad actor”...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

10th Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms that Mandatory Diversity Training does not Constitute Unlawful Discrimination

Husch Blackwell LLP on

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, there has been in increase in litigation challenging employers’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies and practices. In one recent...more

Proskauer Rose LLP

Broadway Ruling Puts Discrimination Claims In The Limelight

Proskauer Rose LLP on

Does the First Amendment right to free speech permit an employer to hire or fire an employee based on race? On its face, the proposition may seem absurd, especially as we approach the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act...more

Hicks Johnson

Supreme Court Considers Title VII Case That Could Impact Company Diversity Initiatives

Hicks Johnson on

On December 6, 2023, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, a Title VII case out of the Eighth Circuit. The petitioner, Sergeant Jatonya Muldrow of the St. Louis Police Department, alleged sex...more

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

DEI Under Scrutiny, Part VII: Re-examining the Implementation of ‘Rooney Rule’ Diverse Slate Initiatives

The National Football League’s (NFL) “Rooney Rule,” which requires teams to consider minority candidates when filling certain coaching vacancies, has been considered a model for diverse slate hiring policies, but it is now in...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

Mitratech Holdings, Inc

Out With the Old Compliance Year … In With the New

As 2023 ends, despite the visions of sugar plums dancing in your head, it is a good time to take stock of government initiatives affecting your Affirmative Action practice, the better to get ready for 2024. Many things...more

Jenner & Block

DEI in the Crosshairs: Reflections On 2023 And Predictions For 2024

Jenner & Block on

From the classroom to the boardroom, attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) gained significant momentum in 2023. Bolstered by their victory at the Supreme Court in the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) cases,...more

Conn Kavanaugh

Supreme Court Decision May Impact Your Company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives

Conn Kavanaugh on

The U.S. Supreme Court recently held that it is illegal to consider race in college admissions decisions. While the decision did not apply to employers, employers should be aware that the decision is being used as a roadmap...more

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