A Texas federal judge has finalized a permanent injunction preventing the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from enforcing Biden-era rules against two religious groups. The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute and United in Purpose, two Christian organizations, previously successfully sued the agencies. Those groups claim that the federal Read More

A former Netflix production executive has filed suit against the media company, claiming that her termination was retaliation for complaining about religious and sex discrimination rather than her refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Shelley Stevens claims in her California state court lawsuit that Netflix violated state workplace gender bias, retaliation, and harassment laws by mocking the religious beliefs of the Read More

Attorneys across the nation are watching for the outcome of a Title IX claim against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) filed by cisgender college swimmer and activist Riley Gaines over transgender athlete participation. The case is Riley Gaines et al. v. NCAA et al., Case Number 1:24-cv-01109, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. In September, a Georgia federal judge Read More

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued a split decision, reversing a lower federal court’s finding that two school employees lacked standing to bring a First Amendment claim against the school district. Henderson v. Springfield R-12 School District concerns a school district requiring its staff to attend an equity training program. In its reversal, the appellate court also vacated more than $312,000 Read More

After finally reaching a quorum after many months of inactivity, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is shifting to focus on what it refers to as “anti-American” bias. In December, EEOC chair Andrea Lucas posted a video on social media expressing an interest in hearing from white males experiencing race or sex discrimination in the workplace. A tutorial on anti-American discrimination and its Read More

States have enacted various employment-related laws that took effect in 2026. These laws cover various topics such as gig worker and whistleblower protections, employment contracts, data privacy, and workplace and pay transparency. This post includes a survey of some of the more notable laws that are now in place but does not include all such laws. Likewise, this post specifically excludes laws concerning minimum Read More

The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued various opinion letters construing the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in early January 2026. The letters address various issues under the FLSA, including the loss of exempt status after a pay change, the interplay between performance bonuses and overtime, and the provisions of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).  Exempt Read More

Employers and Human Resources (HR) departments have seen major changes in employment law throughout 2025. These rapid changes underscore the need for employers and HR professionals to stay ahead and adapt to them as swiftly as they develop.  Executive Orders President Donald Trump issued more than 200 executive orders (EOs) in 2025, which is more than any president in the last 50 years. Many of these EOs, which Read More

According to a White House Office of Management and Budget notice, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has delivered its new independent contractor rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). DOL previously identified the regulation as one to revisit in August and September 2025, but the new regulation has only surfaced now. The White House has provided no further information as to when it might publish the new Read More

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a final rule that fundamentally changes existing civil rights enforcement under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by eliminating disparate-impact liability cases. The new rule states that DOJ will focus its enforcement efforts on intentional discrimination rather than on disparate impact. According to the DOJ, the enforcement shift complies with the original Read More