US Supreme Court takes up cases about LGBT employment rights
The US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in two of the term’s most closely watched cases over whether federal civil rights law protects LGBT people from job discrimination.
Discrimination
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Title VII questions at U.S. Supreme Court echo Indiana case
The issue that arose in Indiana from the employment discrimination case against Ivy Tech will go before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday as the nine justices will be asked whether Title VII protections extend to sexual orientation and gender identity.
AG Hill’s top advisers must turn over communications in discipline case
Efforts by top officials of the Indiana Office of the Attorney General to place under protective order communications between them and Attorney General Curtis Hill about the sexual misconduct allegations against Hill have been defeated with the denial of their motion to quash and motion for protective order.
Indiana BMV puts nonbinary gender option for IDs on hold
The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles is putting on hold a policy allowing nonbinary gender designations on driver’s licenses while state officials develop new formal regulations for gender changes on state-issued IDs.
Judge hearing suit over Indiana’s religious objections law
Conservative religious groups are arguing their constitutional rights were violated by limits that were placed on Indiana’s contentious religious objections law signed in 2015 by then-Gov. Mike Pence.
Desegregation advocate to mark Hispanic Heritage Month
A woman who fought to desegregate California public schools when she was 9 years old will discuss the lawsuit that altered the course of her life next week during a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration hosted by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and the Indiana State Bar Association’s Latino Affairs Committee.
Dallas officer who fatally shot neighbor faces sentencing
The same jury that convicted a white Dallas police officer of murder in the fatal shooting of her black neighbor returns to court Wednesday to consider her sentence — a penalty that could be anywhere from five years to life in prison.
Taking a seat at the table: Women neutrals underrepresented in some fields
In the field of alternative dispute resolution, diversity appears to be making fewer gains than in the legal profession as a whole. A 2018 article in the ABA Journal reported that, generally, studies show women comprising around 20% of the national ADR field. Similarly, American Bar Association Resolution 105 calls dispute resolution “arguably the least diverse corner of the profession.”
Web Exclusive: Trailblazers reflect on progress of women in law
As Barnes & Thornburg recognized trailblazing professional women with its annual Shirley’s Legacy Award recently, past recipients shared their views of how women are faring in the legal profession and the challenges that persist.
Penske Logistics agrees to offer jobs to 99 women as part of discrimination settlement
Penske Logistics LLC has agreed to pay $350,000 in back wages and offer jobs to 99 women to settle an allegation that the company discriminated against female job applicants at its Shelbyville warehouse.
Judicial Conference doubles PACER fee waiver, adopts model workplace dispute resolution plan
The United States Judicial Conference has doubled the quarterly fee waiver for PACER users, a move the courts say will result in more than 75% of users paying no fees in a given quarter.
Indiana courts among busiest for employment filings
In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, busy dockets are common across all case types. Recent data confirmed that trend specifically with respect to employment law, finding the Indianapolis-based courts are among the busiest in employment litigation for all of the Midwest.
Fired Elkhart city attorney fails to overcome appointee determination
A former Elkhart city attorney who was told she was being fired because the new mayor wanted “to hire my own guy” could not overcome the precedent the Northern Indiana District Court used to determine she was an appointed policymaker and therefore not covered by federal protections.
Web Exclusive: Lawyers with disabilities speak out against small numbers, stigma
The number of lawyers in the United States who report having some form of a disability is minuscule. But as small as the figures may be, a shift is taking place in the legal industry that has caused the numbers to double in the past decade.
7th Circuit reinstates Ford discriminatory hiring class-action
Ford Motor Co. and other defendants must face a class-action lawsuit alleging discriminatory hiring practices at a Chicago-area assembly plant. Plaintiffs convinced a federal appeals court to let proceed their claims that hiring practices at the plant could negatively impact Hispanic workers in northwestern Indiana and elsewhere hoping to land a job there.
7th Circuit: Indiana voter purge provision violates federal law
In a ruling that reminded Indiana of the need to protect the integrity of the voting process, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the state from kicking individuals off the voter rolls based solely on a match in the Crosscheck database.
Indiana Youth Group seeks to intervene in lawsuit against Brownsburg schools
A group representing transgender students filed a motion Thursday to intervene in a lawsuit brought by a teacher who claims Brownsburg Community School Corp. violated his religious freedom rights by requiring him to refer to students with gender dysphoria by their preferred names.
SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: Gender pronouns part of LGBT fight
Dozens of legal briefs supporting fired funeral director Aimee Stephens at the Supreme Court use “she” and “her” to refer to the transgender woman. Decisions about gender pronouns may seem minor, but they appear to reflect the larger issues involved in this high-stakes battle over LGBT rights.
Ex-East Chicago health offical’s suit over firing proceeds in part
A former East Chicago city employee who has alleged her constitutional rights were violated when she was fired from the city Health Department in 2015 has secured a partial victory from the Northern Indiana District Court, which also ruled partially in favor of city officials.
Rental repairs licensing requirement poses no burden to interstate commerce, 7th Circuit affirms
An Illinois man who owns rental property in Hammond failed to convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that a city licensing ordinance requiring he obtain a license to make repairs to his properties was discriminatory.