50 for 50: Five Decades of the Most Important Discrimination Law Developments

Number 10:  Harassment Training Becomes The Norm In 2005, when first responders arrived in New Orleans to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, they did not hit the ground running.  Some…

Number 9:  And Then There Were None”:  The Story of the Rise and Fall of Discrimination Class Actions under Title VII The EEOC made a name for itself in the…

Number 8:  The Supreme Court Finds That Unintentional Discrimination Violates Title VII People don’t discriminate by accident. But in the wake of the passage of Title VII, employers began adopting…

Number 7: The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (You Mean Gender Discrimination Under Title VII Didn’t Always Include Pregnancy?)  We often think of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 first…

Number 6: In 1967, Congress Prohibits Age Discrimination The 1964 enactment of Title VII was a watershed moment in workplace civil rights, but the new law was selective in its…

Number 5: The Americans With Disabilities Act Becomes Law In 1990 Like many discrimination laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act was born from a grass roots movement.  On Monday, March…

Number 4:  In 1991, Congress Broadens the Law By the late 1980’s, the legal battles concerning employment discrimination had become increasingly mature and several cases had been decided by the…

Number 3: In 1986, The Supreme Court Recognizes Sexual Harassment Claims It’s hard to imagine now, but from 1964 to 1986, “sexual harassment” as it is known today did not…

Number 2: In 1972, The Law Expands and the EEOC Enters Litigation as a Party Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 obviously broke new ground but advocates…

Number 1:  Title VII Is Constitutional In 1926, James “Ollie” McClung opened a barbecue restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama.   It’s hard to imagine that Ollie could have had any idea how…