Law Commons^™

Religion Anti-Discrimination And The Decline Of Labor Law, Nathan B. Oman

Nathan B. Oman

No abstract provided.

Clarifying Stereotyping, Kerri Lynn Stone

Kerri Stone

This Article addresses the largely undefined, misunderstood-yet-often-resorted-to concept of “stereotyping” as a basis for, or sufficient evidence of, liability for employment discrimination. Since, the concept’s genesis in Supreme Court jurisprudence in 1989, Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, plaintiffs have proffered remarks alleged to be tinged with, or indicating the presence of, impermissible stereotypes as evidence of discrimination based on protected-class status – be that sex, race, color, religion, or national origin – in contravention of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Article examines the language in Hopkins and its precise mandates and guidance for lower courts. It …

Introduction: The Enduring Power Of Collective Rights, In Labor Law Stories, Catherine L. Fisk, Laura J. Cooper

Catherine Fisk

No abstract provided.

Gendering Disability To Enable Disability Rights Law, Michelle Travis

Michelle A. Travis

Inherently Discriminatory Conduct Revisited: Do We Know It When We See It?, Barbara J. Fick

Barbara J. Fick

"This article traces the development of the inherently discriminatory doctrine, proposes some guidelines for determining when employer conduct falls under the rubric of the inherently discriminatory doctrine, and analyzes two cases dealing with employer use of temporary replacements during offensive lockouts in light of the proposed guidelines."

An Essay Challenging The Racially Biased Selection Of Arbitrators For Employment Discrimination Suits, Michael Z. Green

Michael Z. Green

Since 1991, employers have increasingly decided to require that employees agree to arbitrate statutory employment discrimination claims as a condition of employment. This Essay seeks to expose some of the potential discriminatory components that may arise in the arbitrator selection process while highlighting the lack of legal remedy for those who believe that employers, in conjunction with neutral service provders, have stacked the pool in favor of having arbitrators who tend to be older, white and male. The Essay suggests the use of 42 U.S.C. Section 1981 as a potential remedy and challenge to the dearth of arbitrators of color …

Diversity And The Federal Workforce, Alev Dudek

Alev Dudek

Disqualifiying Universality Under The Americans With Disabilities Act Amendments Act, Michelle Travis

Michelle A. Travis

This Article reveals a new resistance strategy to disability rights in the workplace. The initial backlash against the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) targeted protected class status by characterizing the ADA's accommodation mandate as special treatment that benefitted the disabled at the expense of the nondisabled workforce. As a result, federal courts treated the ADA as a welfare statute rather than a civil rights law, which resulted in the Supreme Court dramatically narrowing the definition of disability. Congress responded with sweeping amendments in 2008 to expand the class of individuals with disabilities who are entitled to accommodations and …

Liberty Vs. Equality: In Defense Of Privileged White Males, Nancy E. Dowd

Nancy Dowd

In this book review, Professor Dowd reviews Forbidden Grounds: The Case Against Employment Discrimination Laws, by Richard A. Epstein (1992). First, Professor Dowd sets forth the thesis and arguments of Epstein’s book and explores her general criticisms in more detail. Next, she explores Epstein’s core argument pitting liberty against equality from two perspectives: that of the privileged white male and that of minorities and women. Finally, Professor Dowd argues that Epstein’s position cannot be viewed as an argument that most minorities or women would make, as it fails to take account of their stories.

The Metamorphosis Of Comparable Worth, Nancy E. Dowd

Nancy Dowd

The concept of comparable worth has as its factual predicate two typical characteristics of women's employment: occupational concentration or segregation and significantly lower wages compared to those paid to men. What continues to be most troubling about this employment pattern is its stubborn persistence, despite the increased presence of women in the workforce and the existence for over two decades of legislation prohibiting sex discrimination in employment. The concept of comparable worth has provoked an outpouring of emotional rhetoric and scholarly analysis debating the concept’s viability and desirability. Rather than add to that debate, Professor Dowd traces the evolution of …

Surrogacy Leave And Eu Law: Case C 167/12, C.D. V S.T. And Case C 363/12, Z. V A Government Department, Judgements (Grand Chamber) Of 18 March 2014, Mel Cousins

Mel Cousins

Advances in reproductive technology have tended to outpace the capacity of legislators to respond to these changes, leading to difficult legal questions for the courts. Surrogacy is one particular area where advances in technology have led to many legal challenges and have highlighted the failure (in several jurisdictions) to enact appropriate legislation in response to technological developments and/or differing views about what is ‘appropriate’. Two recent cases before the European Court of Justice (CJEU) have raised the issues as to whether either EU secondary legislation (in particular the Pregnant Workers Directive 92/85/EEC and/or the Equal Treatment Directives 2006/54/EC and 2000/78/EC) …

Discrimination Cases In The Supreme Court’S 1998 Term, Eileen Kaufman

Eileen Kaufman

In the Supreme Court's 1997 Term, the Supreme Court had decided a record number of statutory discrimination cases. However, that record was exceeded in the Supreme Court's 1998 Term with the Court addressing issues arising under Title VII, which covers discrimination in employment; Title IX, which covers discrimination in schools; and most significantly, the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination based on disability. Overall, the term scored significant victories for employers who were given considerable latitude to set their own physical characteristic standards and who were, to a large extent, immunized from liability for punitive damages. There was an …

Civil Rights Litigation From The October 2007 Term, Martin A. Schwartz

Martin A. Schwartz

No abstract provided.

Do Law Schools Mistreat Women Faculty? Or, Who’S Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, Dan Subotnik

Dan Subotnik

No abstract provided.

Unpacking The Employee-Misconduct Defense, Sachin S. Pandya

Sachin S. Pandya

When a worker sues an employer, the employer sometimes learns thereafter that the worker had committed some misconduct at the time of hire or while on the job. In those cases, most American work laws provide the employer with a defense that precludes employer liability, or at least limits remedies, if the employer shows that, had it known of the worker’s misconduct at the time of its allegedly wrongful act, it would have fired the worker because of that misconduct. This Article evaluates the prevailing arguments for and against the employee-misconduct defense as it appears in the National Labor Relations …

Disparate Impact Is Not Unconstitutional, Michael Evan Gold

Michael Evan Gold

[Excerpt] In Ricci v. DeStefano, the "New Haven Firefighters" case, whitefirefighters and one Hispanic firefighter sued the city of New Haven, Connecticut and city officials under Title VII. The plaintiffs claimed the city had committed intentional discrimination or disparate treatment against them when the city disregarded the results of promotion examinations that had an adverse effect on black and Hispanic applicants. The Supreme Court sustained the claim. In his concurring opinion, Justice Scalia invited attorneys in subsequent cases to consider arguing that the disparate impact theory of employment discrimination is unconstitutional. He reasoned as follows: • The Constitution prohibits the …

Discrimination Cases In The 2000 Term, Eileen Kaufman

Eileen Kaufman

No abstract provided.

Shattering The Equal Pay Act's Glass Ceiling, Deborah Thompson Eisenberg

Deborah Thompson Eisenberg

This Article provides the first empirical and rhetorical analysis of all reported Equal Pay Act (EPA) federal appellate cases since the Act’s passage. This analysis shows that as women climb the occupational ladder, the manner in which many federal courts interpret the EPA imposes a wage glass ceiling, shutting out women in non-standardized jobs from its protection. This barrier is particularly troubling in light of data that shows that the gender wage gap increases for women as they achieve higher levels of professional status. The Article begins by examining data regarding the greater pay gap for women in upper-level jobs. …

Disparate Impact Under The Age Discrimination In Employment Act Of 1967, Michael Evan Gold

Michael Evan Gold

No abstract provided.

A Tale Of Two Amendments: The Reasons Congress Added Sex To Title Vii And Their Implication For The Issue Of Comparable Worth, Michael Evan Gold

Michael Evan Gold

No abstract provided.

Survey Of The Federal Government On Supervisor Practices In Employment Of People With Disabilities, Susanne M. Bruyere, William Erickson, Richard L. Horne

Susanne Bruyère

In 1999, the Presidential Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities (PTFEAD) funded Cornell University to conduct a survey of federal sector HR and EEO representatives regarding their experience implementing the employment disability nondiscrimination requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990(ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. One of the recommendations from this research was to conduct a follow-up study of federal agency supervisors and managers about their experience in accommodation and employment of persons with disabilities in the federal sector, and in addition to inquire about their awareness of the series of Executive …

Mega-Cases, Diversity, And The Elusive Goal Of Workplace Reform, Nancy Levit

Nancy Levit

Employment discrimination class action suits are part of a new wave of structural reform litigation. Like their predecessors - the school desegregation cases in the 1950s, the housing and voting inequalities cases in the 1960s, prison conditions suits in the 1970s, and environmental lawsuits since then - these are systemic challenges to major institutions affecting large segments of the public. This article explores the effectiveness of various employment discrimination remedies in reforming workplace cultures, promoting corporate accountability, and implementing real diversity.

Reviewing the architecture and aftermath of consent decrees in five major employment discrimination cases - the cases against Shoney's, …

Eu Sex Equality Post Amsterdam, Ann Numhauser-Henning

Ann Numhauser-Henning

No abstract provided.

Title Ix Whistle-Blowing Is Protected, Adam Epstein

Adam Epstein

Discussion of the valiant efforts of high school basketball coach Roderick Jackson (Birmingham, Alabama) and his complaint over inferior facilities for his girls basketball team. His claim went all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

Telecommuting: The Escher Stairway Of Work/Family Conflict, Michelle A. Travis

Michelle A. Travis

This Article was part of a symposium issue on Law, Labor, and Gender. This interdisciplinary project responds to legal scholars in the work/family conflict field who advocate telecommuting as a way for women to achieve workplace equality. First, the Article uses sociology research to demonstrate that telecommuting sometimes works to exacerbate gender inequality in the workplace, rather than leveling the workplace playing field. Second, the Article explores what role, if any, the law may play in requiring employers to design gender-equalizing telecommuting relationships. By analogizing telecommuting to the historic use of women industrial homeworkers, the Article concludes that targeted homeworking …

United States. V. Virginia New Gender Equal Protection Analysis With Ramifications For Pregnancy, Parenting And Title Vii.Pdf, Candace Kovacic-Fleischer

Candace Kovacic-Fleischer

Let Them Become Professionals: An Analysis Of The Failure To Enforce Title Vii’S Pay Equity Mandate, Pamela L. Perry

Pamela L Perry

No abstract provided.

Age Discrimination–Involuntary Retirement– Mcmann V. United Air Lines, Inc., Pamela L. Perry

Pamela L Perry

No abstract provided.