06.01.15

Scott Applauds SCOTUS Anti-Discrimination Decision

 

WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott issued the following statement today after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc.’s action to deny employment to a qualified Muslim applicant who wanted to wear a headscarf at work – coupled with a motivation to avoid an accommodation of her religious practice – is a “disparate treatment action” in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act:

“Today, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the position that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from not hiring someone based on the applicant’s religious beliefs, and that unless there is undue hardship, employers must accommodate workers' religious beliefs in the workplace. In this case, the Court found that the store’s action not to hire an applicant it found qualified – coupled with the motivation not to accommodate her belief – was a violation of the law.

“It should not go unnoticed that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) represented this young applicant. Fifty years after the creation of the EEOC, there is a substantial, ongoing need for the Commission’s work. The EEOC enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against an employee or job applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.

 

“Employment discrimination is real. In Fiscal Year 2014 alone, there were 88,778 discrimination charges were filed with EEOC – of which 35 percent were based on race, 29 percent were based on sex, 29 percent were based on disability status, and 23.2 percent were based on age.

 

“The EEOC took the applicant’s case seriously and used its authority to assert the civil rights law which was designed to protect Americans from workplace discrimination. This case, and others brought by the EEOC, reinforces the agency’s important role in protecting the rights of individuals and the interests of the public.”

 

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