Alabama Employer’s Ban on Dreadlocks Okayed by Appellate Court
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is the federal appellate court for Alabama cases, recently ruled that a Mobile company’s ban on dreadlocks for their employees does not violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The lawsuit was filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of an African American woman who wore her hair in dreadlocks. The woman’s job offer was terminated after she refused to change her hairstyle.
Circuit Judge Adalberto Jordan, who authored the unanimous opinion, acknowledged such determinations are often difficult: “We recognize that the distinction between immutable and mutable characteristics of race can sometimes be a fine (and difficult) one, but it is a line that courts have drawn.” The full opinion of the case, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Catastrophe Management Solutions, is available here.
Many folks have questions about the differences between certain misdemeanors that seem to cover the same behavior: “Menacing”, “Reckless Endangerment”, “Harassment” and “Disorderly Conduct”. They all seem to protect against the same sort of intimidating and threatening behavior, so how are they different?
Recently, there have been plenty of reports of clowns scaring people all over the country. These terrifying carnival folk are carrying weapons, following and chasing people, and even trying to lure children into local wooded areas. In a strange way, these clown sightings help explain the differences in the misdemeanors I discussed above. Let’s run through some “creepy clown” hypotheticals together to give you a better understanding… and get in the Halloween spirit!
A coalition of twenty-one states and several businesses and industry groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, are suing to block the new overtime-pay requirements set to take effect in December. They argue that the new policy is unconstitutional, unduly burdens the states, and violates the Tenth Amendment, which reserves powers to the states. The lawsuit was filed in a Texas District Court and is available 
Last week, the Federal Reserve voted to hold key interest rate at current levels. Nevertheless, three board members voted for a rate hike, and Fed Chair Janet Yellen has