Certiorari Granted in Case on Interpretation of Title VII

On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted review in Muldrow v. St. Louis, MO, (Docket No. 22-193, certiorari granted 6/30/2023) (Order List), a Title VII employment discrimination case. The grant of certiorari was limited to the question of:

Does Title VII prohibit discrimination in transfer decisions absent a separate court determination that the transfer decision caused a significant disadvantage?

At issue is a Title VII sex discrimination claim by a female police sergeant who was transferred from the St. Louis police department's Intelligence Division to work in the city's Fifth District and was subsequently denied a transfer to the Second District. The Court of Appeals in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, (8th Cir., April 4, 2022), held that absent a showing of harm resulting from a transfer, there has been no adverse employment action for purposes of Title VII. The Court's decision will impact religious discrimination in employment cases under Title VII as well as sex discrimination cases. Here is SCOTUSblog's case page with links to all the filings in the Supreme Court in the case.

Pastor's Convictions For Corrupting Minors Dismissed

Christian Chronicle reports on a March 18, 2019 decision by a Pennsylvania trial court judge vacating a long-time Church of Christ youth minister's convictions for corruption of minors and indecent exposure.  Clyde Brothers, Jr. had been sentenced to five years in prison for showing pornographic movies and performing lewd acts in front of church boys. Granting a post-trial motion, however, the court held that the state's statute of limitations barred the prosecution.