Legal Environment for Business: Employment Law

Desegregation - Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, 1964
Case was an important early test of the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. One of the provisions of the Act forbids racial discrimination in public facilities engaged in interstate commerce. The Heart of Atlanta Motel in Atlanta, Georgia, refused to accept black customers in violation of the Act. The Supreme Court held that Congress acted within its powers to regulate interstate commerce when passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and so upheld the validity of this portion of the Act.

Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

"Caldwell Freight Lines to Pay $120,000 to Settle EEOC Race Discrimination Lawsuit"

"Target to Pay $160,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit."

"Abercrombie & Fitch Settles Two Pending EEOC Religious Discrimination Suits."

EEOC v. AutoZone, Inc., 707 F. 3d 824 - Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit 2013

"Wal-Mart to Pay $150,000 to Settle EEOC Age and Disability Discrimination Suit."

01/29/2009 became public law

U.S. Department of Labor homepage

"Equal Employment Opportunity laws prohibit specific types of job discrimination in certain workplaces. The Department of Labor has two agencies which deal with EEO monitoring and enforcement, the Civil Rights Center and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs."

Affirmative action policies are those in which an institution or organization actively engages in efforts to improve opportunities for historically excluded groups in American society.