Posts tagged Title VII
Supreme Court Modifies Undue Hardship Standard for Religious Accommodations

On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Groff v. Dejoy, a case involving an Evangelical Christian USPS worker who sought a religious accommodation to abstain from work on Sundays. The highly anticipated decision alters nearly 50 years of federal caselaw regarding what constitutes an undue hardship sufficient to justify an employer’s denial of a request for a religious accommodation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”). The ruling establishes a heightened standard for employers, who now must show that the burden of granting a religious accommodation would result in “substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business” before denying an accommodation.  

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EEOC Issues Guidance on Religious Accommodations to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

As addressed in our prior client alerts, available here and here, earlier this year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued guidance for employers regarding how employer-imposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates interact with federal anti-discrimination laws. Last week, the EEOC issued additional guidance on employee requests for religious accommodations to these mandates.

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EEOC Issues Updated Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccinations

As addressed in our prior client alert, earlier this year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued guidance for employers on how the COVID-19 vaccine interacts with federal anti-discrimination laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (“GINA”), and Title VII. Employers have been eager for additional direction from the EEOC as the vaccine has become more widely available, and many employees have begun returning to the office. Last Friday, the EEOC issued additional guidance on these topics.

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