The list of characteristics protected by Massachusetts anti-discrimination laws has become a bit longer with the addition of “natural hairstyle” to long-standing items such as race, gender, disability, and color. … more
With all the talk about vaccines lately, both those that already exist for influenza and others that may soon arrive in the battle against Covid-19, employers are asking a fundamental … more
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has concluded gay marriage is a right protected by the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, it is opting to take up the questions … more
Bills under consideration by the Massachusetts Legislature could bring one major change and other lesser ones to discrimination law in Massachusetts. Under a bill proposed by six senators, the filing … more
When Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently announced that his Justice Department rejects the idea that transgender people are protected under Title VII, the federal workplace discrimination statute, it received quick … more
Massachusetts recently took another step to protect members of its workforce. Late in July, Gov. Charlie Baker signed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which provides broad new rules for pregnant … more
Free speech is not always free. That seemingly obvious point was apparently lost on Google employee James Damore, a man making headlines recently after he was fired for writing a … more
If there was any doubt that employers need to be careful about disciplining employees who use medical marijuana, it was ended today by the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC). It held … more
The Supreme Judicial Court recently clarified the legal hurdles employers must satisfy when defending claims that they failed to reasonably accommodate their disabled employees. In doing so, it gave one … more
A U.S. Federal Court this week lent more weight to the notion that a federal law that bans employment discrimination applies to employers whose conduct is motivated by their employees’ … more