Discrimination

  • June 12, 2026

    Challenge To 'Troubling' EEOC Trans Bias Shift Dismissed

    A Maryland federal judge tossed a suit June 12 from an LGBTQ+ advocacy group challenging the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's decision to step back from investigating bias charges from transgender workers, saying the pivot was "deeply troubling" but out of the court's hands.

  • June 12, 2026

    Ex-Honeywell China GC Can't Bring US Bias Suit, Judge Says

    Honeywell International Inc. defeated a lawsuit alleging it unlawfully fired the vice president and general counsel at a Chinese subsidiary because she turned 55, with a North Carolina federal judge saying her employment contract requires the dispute to be handled in China.

  • June 12, 2026

    2nd Circ. Leery Of Amazon Worker's Caregiver Bias Suit

    The Second Circuit appeared skeptical Friday of a former Amazon employee's attempt to revive her suit claiming she was unlawfully denied schedule flexibility to care for her son, questioning whether her suit should have been brought as an accommodation dispute rather than a discrimination suit.

  • June 12, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: Workday Seeks To Narrow Hiring Bias Case

    In the week ahead, attorneys should watch for a hearing on Workday's effort to sink claims in a proposed discrimination class action brought by job applicants. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • June 12, 2026

    NY Forecast: Energy Co. Worker's Age Bias Suit At 2nd Circ.

    This week, the Second Circuit will hear arguments over whether to revive an energy company analyst's lawsuit alleging the company discriminated against her on the basis of her age by passing her over for promotions in favor of younger, less qualified candidates. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in the Empire State.

  • June 11, 2026

    Court Wrong To Upend Worker's $2M Win, Wash. Justices Say

    The Washington Supreme Court found Thursday that a lower appeals court was too quick to nix a Latino county employee's $2 million verdict on claims he was suspended for calling out race bias, ruling the county's concerns about a set of jury instructions didn't warrant canceling the award.

  • June 11, 2026

    Amazon Reaches Deal To End Workers' Genetic Privacy Suit

    Amazon has agreed to end a lawsuit alleging that it violated Illinois genetic privacy law by seeking information about job applicants' family medical history, according to a federal court filing.

  • June 11, 2026

    Discount Airline Settles Military Workers' Leave Benefits Suit

    A budget airline has agreed to settle a proposed class action in Minnesota federal court claiming the business violated federal law by failing to contribute cash into workers' retirement funds when they took military leave.

  • June 11, 2026

    Ex-Colo. Film Commissioner Says Age Bias Led To Firing

    Colorado's former film commissioner hit the state's economic development office with an age bias and retaliation suit, alleging he was forced out at age 79 after initiating the effort to bring the Sundance Film Festival to Colorado and raising concerns about a nearly $748,000 accounting error.

  • June 11, 2026

    Winston & Strawn Employment Partner Joins Davis Wright

    Davis Wright Tremaine LLP announced Thursday that an experienced employment attorney has joined the firm's Los Angeles office after a lengthy stint with Winston & Strawn LLP.

  • June 11, 2026

    2nd Circ. Asks If Ex-UConn Dept. Head Broke School Rules

    A Second Circuit panel sounded skeptical Thursday about a former University of Connecticut department head's claim that racial animus led to his forced resignation, appearing to lean more toward the argument that he misused state funds while carrying on an inappropriate relationship with his secretary.

  • June 11, 2026

    Braidwood Files New Challenge To ACA Birth Control Mandate

    For-profit healthcare company Braidwood Management and several individuals sued the government in Texas federal court to challenge no-cost contraception coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act, arguing that the court should enjoin enforcement of the policy because it burdened their faith in violation of federal religious freedom law.

  • June 11, 2026

    EEOC, Seafood Wholesaler Reach Deal To End Sex Bias Suit

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the operators of a seafood wholesaler have reached a settlement to end the agency's suit alleging the company refused to hire women for warehouse jobs based on the assumption that they couldn't lift heavy stock.

  • June 11, 2026

    Limo Co. Hasn't Paid Out Settlement, EEOC Says

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told a Kentucky federal court that a limousine company has failed to follow through on promises that it would pay $95,000 to a group of female workers who said they were sexually harassed on the job.

  • June 11, 2026

    11th Circ. Won't Revisit Delta Pilots' Military Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit declined to rethink the dismissal of a suit alleging Delta forced out two pilots because they took military leave, leaving in place a panel's conclusion that they resigned over investigations into whether they misused their sick leave.

  • June 11, 2026

    EEOC Not Expected To Let Up In 2nd Half Of 2026

    In the coming months, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s chief will wield her newly centralized powers to continue zeroing in on employers’ diversity, equity and inclusion practices and investigating antisemitism allegations on college campuses, attorneys said. Here, Law360 looks at what to expect from the agency in the second half of 2026.

  • June 11, 2026

    DOJ Accuses UC Davis Med Of Race Bias In Admissions

    The U.S. Department of Justice said the medical school at the University of California, Davis, considered applicants' races when making admissions decisions in purposeful defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court's 3-year-old ruling that nixed affirmative action in higher education.

  • June 10, 2026

    States Say Trump's DEI Rule For Contractors Is Unclear, Illegal

    Attorneys general from 19 states and Washington, D.C., on Wednesday sued numerous federal officials and agencies in an attempt to block the Trump administration's March 26 executive order prohibiting government contractors — including states — from engaging in "racially discriminatory" activity around diversity, equity and inclusion.

  • June 10, 2026

    Cop Urges Justices To Strike Down Burden-Shifting Precedent

    A Black police officer asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up his case alleging he was fired out of race bias, claiming the Sixth Circuit was too quick to accept the argument that rap videos he posted online were the reason for his termination.

  • June 10, 2026

    9th Circ. Seems Skeptical Of Religious Coach's Vax Suit

    The Ninth Circuit appeared reluctant Wednesday to revive a suit from a former Washington State University head football coach who alleged he was fired after being denied a religious exemption to a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, with one judge saying the coach is engaged in an "uphill" battle.

  • June 10, 2026

    DOT Scrubs Disparate Impact From Discrimination Regs

    The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday eliminated disparate impact from its regulations governing discrimination, as part of the Trump administration's sweeping rejection of the theory of liability premised on seemingly neutral policies having discriminatory effects.

  • June 10, 2026

    Appeals Panel Flags AI Concerns As It Reverses Lower Court

    A Georgia school district is immune from some claims in a trio of race discrimination suits brought by Black former principals, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday, overturning a lower court order it said contained mistakes and at least one "hallucinated" case law reference.

  • June 10, 2026

    Fired Black Teacher Appeals NC School's Race Bias Suit Win

    A Black teacher who claims he was fired from a public charter school in North Carolina for teaching a novel about racial justice is taking his discrimination case to the Fourth Circuit after a federal judge sided last month with the school, court records show.

  • June 10, 2026

    Ex-Officials Call EEOC's New Enforcement Plan Simplistic

    A group of former top officials at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and U.S. Department of Labor on Wednesday condemned the EEOC's recent vote to replace Biden-era enforcement priorities, calling the agency's new strategy "an oversimplified tool" that will hurt vulnerable workers.

  • June 10, 2026

    Justice Dept. Probes CUNY Aid For Black Male Students

    The U.S. Department of Justice said it has launched an investigation into whether a City University of New York academic program is unlawfully giving a leg up to Black male students in admissions, financial aid and academic support.

Expert Analysis

  • 9 Considerations For Orgs Using AI Meeting Assistants

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    When deciding to use artificial intelligence meeting assistants, organizations must create and implement a written corporate policy that establishes the do's and don'ts for these assistants, taking into account individualized business operations, industry standards and legal and regulatory requirements, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

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    The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Determining What 'I Don't Feel Safe' Means In The Workplace

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    When an employee tells an employer "I don't feel safe," the phrase can have different meanings, so employment lawyers must adequately investigate to identify which meaning applies — and a cursory review and dismissal of the situation may not be a sufficient defense in case of future legal proceedings, says Karen Elliott at FordHarrison.

  • How EEOC Enforcement Priorities May Change Under Trump

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has already been rocked by the Trump administration's dramatic changes in personnel and policy, which calls into question how the agency may shift its direction from the priorities set forth in its five-year strategic enforcement plan in 2023, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Back To Basics After Admin Change

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    Having an up-to-date employee handbook is more critical now than ever, given the recent change in administration, and employers should understand their benefits and risks, including how they can limit employers’ liability and help retain employers’ rights, say Kasey Cappellano and Meaghan Gandy at Kutak Rock.

  • What Axed Title IX Gender Identity Rule Means For Higher Ed

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    Following a Kentucky federal court's recent decision in State of Tennessee v. Cardona to strike down a Biden-era rule that expanded the definition of Title IX to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, institutions of higher education should prepare to reimplement policies that comply with the reinstated 2020 rule, say attorneys at Venable.

  • A Path Forward For Cos. Amid Trump's Anti-DEIA Efforts

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    Given the Trump administration’s recent efforts targeting corporate diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs — including threatening possible criminal prosecution — companies should carefully tailor their DEIA initiatives to comply with both the letter and the spirit of antidiscrimination law, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Workforce Data Collection Considerations After DEI Order

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    Following President Donald Trump's executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, employers should balance the benefits of collecting demographic data with the risk of violating the order’s prohibition on "illegal DEI," say Lynn Clements at Berkshire Associates, David Cohen at DCI Consulting and Victoria Lipnic at Resolution Economics.

  • How DOGE's Severance Plan May Affect Federal Employees

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    President Donald Trump's administration, working through the Department of Government Efficiency, recently offered a severance package to nearly all of the roughly 2 million federal employees, but unanswered questions about the offer, coupled with several added protections for government workers, led to fewer accepted offers than expected, says Aaron Peskin at Kang Haggerty.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 10 Issues To Watch In Aerospace And Defense Contracting

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    This year, in addition to evergreen developments driven by national security priorities, disruptive new technologies and competition with rival powers, federal contractors will see significant disruptions driven by the new administration’s efforts to reduce government spending, regulation and the size of the federal workforce, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Undoing An American Ideal Of Fairness

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    President Donald Trump’s orders attacking birthright citizenship, civil rights education, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs threaten hard-won constitutional civil rights protections and decades of efforts to undo bias in the law — undermining what Chief Justice Earl Warren called "our American ideal of fairness," says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Employer Tips For Wise Use Of Workers' Biometrics And Tech

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    Employers that collect employee biometric data and operate bring-your-own-device policies, which respectively offer better corporate security and more flexibility for workers, should prioritize certain best practices to protect the privacy and rights of employees and safeguard sensitive internal information, says Douglas Yang at Sheppard Mullin.