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Full-Text Articles in Law

Tragic Rights: The Rights Critique In The Age Of Obama, Robin L. West Nov 2011

Tragic Rights: The Rights Critique In The Age Of Obama, Robin L. West

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.


The Importance Of Immutability In Employment Discrimination Law, Sharona Hoffman Apr 2011

The Importance Of Immutability In Employment Discrimination Law, Sharona Hoffman

William & Mary Law Review

This Article argues that recent developments in employment discrimination law require a renewed focus on the concept of immutable characteristics. In 2009, two new laws took effect: the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA). This Article’s original contribution is an evaluation of the employment discrimination statutes as a corpus of law in light of these two additions.

The Article thoroughly explores the meaning of the term “immutable characteristic” in constitutional and employment discrimination jurisprudence. It postulates that immutability constitutes a unifying principle for all of the traits now covered by the employment …


Plausibility Pleading Employment Discrimination, Charles A. Sullivan Apr 2011

Plausibility Pleading Employment Discrimination, Charles A. Sullivan

William & Mary Law Review

The Supreme Court’s unanimous 2002 decision in Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N.A., which took a very permissive approach to pleading discrimination claims, may or may not remain good law after Ashcroft v. Iqbal. As is well known, Iqbal took a restrictive approach to pleading generally under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and its application to employment discrimination cases could pose serious problems for plaintiffs attempting to get into federal court. In addition, there is certainly a tension between Swierkiewicz and Iqbal. This is in part because the former is a strong reaffirmation of notice pleading as it has traditionally been …