EEOC approves updated religious discrimination guidance

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) approved revisions to the religious discrimination section of its compliance manual on January 15 by a 3-2 vote (https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/section-12-religious-discrimination). The updated guidance describes the ways Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects individuals from religious discrimination in the workplace and sets forth the legal protections available to religious employers. According to the EEOC, it made the changes because the "current version of the Manual, last updated in 2008, does not reflect recent legal developments and emerging issues." Since 2008, several lower court and U.S. Supreme Court decisions have altered the legal landscape.

EEOC narrows GC's broad litigation authority

On January 14, 2021, the EEOC agreed to limit the broad litigation authority its General Counsel (GC) has held since 1995 and restored the commissioners' authority to determine whether to file significant litigation (https://www.eeoc.gov/resolution-concerning-commissions-authority-commence-or-intervene-litigation-and-commissions-0). The commission had planned a public meeting to vote on the changes, but that meeting was canceled.