Employment Discrimination

Read the introductory materials for Chapter 12. The employment-at-will doctrine, which is prevalent in the United States, makes it relatively easy for an employer to fire an employee for any reason. However, specific federal and state laws protect employees from being fired for reasons that government and society have determined to be wrongful discrimination. In the past sixty years or so, laws have been passed in the United States that protect against discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religious practice, and disability, to name some of the most prominent examples. These laws change over time. As an example, review the Abercrombie & Fitch "look policy". In 2015, the courts held that the clothing company violated discrimination laws by refusing to hire a Muslim woman because she wore a hijab.