Law Commons^™

Is A Delayed Result A Just Result? The Use Of Laches As An Equitable Defense To Remedial Back Pay Under The Eeoc's Sovereignty, Ruth Ann Mueller

Catholic University Law Review

The equitable defense of laches generally cannot be used against the sovereign. This broad proposition, adopted from English Courts of Equity, cements itself in United States federal case law. It is a longstanding principle that the federal government protects the public good and must be exempt from the defenses that could be brought up in a private suit. Administrative agencies bear a similar role, and exemption, when litigating as the United States on behalf of the public.

However, courts do not affirmatively restrict the use of laches against administrative agencies who may be acting on behalf of a private litigant. …

The Essence Test: Picking Up A Supreme Court Fumble, Thomas Gentry

Catholic University Law Review

Labor arbitration is the primary mean by which employers and employees resolve disputes. The shortcomings of the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence on labor arbitration have intensified as more employees opt for arbitration. These shortcomings are no more apparent than with the National Football League and its players.

This Comment uses NFL player Adrian Peterson and his player-discipline arbitration process as an example of the gaps in the Supreme Court’s case law. The Supreme Court announced the Essence Test in 1960 with the seminal Steelworker Trilogy Cases. Since 1960, lower courts have been unable to consistently apply the test, leading to a …

The Perfect Play: Why The Fair Labor Standards Act Covers Division I Men’S Basketball And Football Players, Richard Smith Jr.

Catholic University Law Review

An emerging labor and employment issue during the last decade—and one which has yet to be conclusively decided—is whether college athletes are employees of the colleges and universities for which they compete. The most employed attack by college athletes has been to attempt to gain coverage under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which would allow the athletes to unionize and collectively bargain with the colleges and universities. However, this method has been largely unsuccessful, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision denying coverage does not provide any hope that future attempts under the NLRA will be any more …

Analytical Nightmare: The Materially Adverse Action Requirement In Disparate Treatment Cases, Esperanza N. Sanchez

Catholic University Law Review

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 expressly prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Since its passage, however, federal courts have imported an adverse employment action requirement into Title VII jurisprudence despite its absence from the statutory language. Inconsistent determinations as to which employment actions qualify as sufficiently adverse under Title VII have resulted in an analytical confusion, yielding anemic anti-discrimination protections that, in effect, shelter invidious employment practices from liability. This Note argues that the anti-discrimination jurisprudence surrounding the adverse action requirement diametrically opposes both the letter …

Cat Scratch Fever: The Spread Of The Cat’S Paw Doctrine In The Second Circuit, Crystal Jackson-Kaloz

Catholic University Law Review

The phrase “cat’s paw” comes from an Aesop’s fable and has been used to define a person used by another as a tool or a scapegoat. The phrase was coined and injected into employment discrimination law by Judge Richard Posner in Shager v. Upjohn Co. and later adopted by the U.S. Supreme Court in Staub v. Proctor Hospital. In Staub, the Supreme Court held that an employer could be liable for an adverse employment decision that was based on the recommendation of a supervisor who possessed a discriminatory or retaliatory bias against the adversely affected employee. However, the …