By Kristin G. McGurn and Bridget M. Maricich
Seyfarth Synopsis: A recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, part of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, reaffirmed a growing circuit split regarding whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 preempts concurrent claims raised under Title IX
By Marjorie Clara Soto, Kay J. Hazelwood, and Mary Kay Klimesh
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit’s recent opinion in Yeasin v. Durham, No. 16-3367, 2018 WL 300553 (10th Cir. Jan. 5, 2018), addresses the “tension between some students’ free-speech rights and other students’ Title IX
By Sam Schwartz-Fenwick, Michael W. Stevens, and Kylie Byron
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Department of Justice has reversed the previous Administration’s position on employment protections for transgender individuals, and issued a memorandum that will likely be relied on by private employers seeking to use their religious faith to engage in otherwise prohibited discriminatory
By Sam Schwartz-Fenwick, Michael W. Stevens, and Kylie Byron
Seyfarth Synopsis: The first eight months of the new administration signals a retrenchment on the executive branch’s view of legal protections due LGBT individuals, including in employment.
Recently, in a dramatic shift, the Department of Justice broke ranks with the Equal Employment Opportunity
By Abigail Cahak, Sam Schwartz-Fenwick, and Mary Kay Klimesh
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Seventh Circuit affirmed that a transgender student demonstrated a likelihood of success on claims that his school district’s decision to prohibit him from using the boys’ restroom violated both Title IX and the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
In Whitaker v.
By Sam Schwartz-Fenwick and Lucas Deloach
Seyfarth Synopsis: Increasingly, courts have held that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity violates Title VII. Federal district courts in Nevada and Pennsylvania have recently joined their ranks. Nonetheless, the issue remains unsettled.
In the previous two months, federal courts in Nevada and Pennsylvania
By Mary Kay Klimesh, Sam Schwartz-Fenwick, and Abigail Cahak
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Supreme Court is poised to hear and rule on the Obama Administration’s position regarding coverage of gender identity within Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination. However, the status of the case is uncertain in light of who the incoming Trump Administration
By Sam Schwartz-Fenwick and Kylie Byron
Seyfarth Synopsis: In State of Texas v. United States, a District Court issued a nationwide injunction to enjoin the Department of Education and Department of Justice from enforcing their guidelines on accommodations for transgender students. The injunction does not prevent states from permitting accommodations.
In a setback
By Sam Schwartz-Fenwick and Kylie Byron
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Seventh Circuit has ruled that Title VII does not provide protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. However, the reasoning behind the Court’s ruling seems calculated to bring the question before the Seventh Circuit on en banc review or before the Supreme Court itself.
By Kylie Byron, Abigail Cahak, Mary Kay Klimesh, and Sam Schwartz-Fenwick
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Fourth Circuit in a case of first impression held that Title IX entitles transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. Though that ruling only discusses Title IX, the Court’s language and reasoning may have