Griggs v. Duke Power Co.

Griggs v. Duke Power Co. (1971) was a landmark Supreme Court case that addressed workplace discrimination. The Court ruled that employment practices must be job-related and consistent with business necessity, even if not explicitly discriminatory. In this case, Duke Power’s policies requiring high school diplomas and standardized tests disproportionately disadvantaged African American applicants. The Court held these practices were unfair unless employers could prove they directly related to job performance. This ruling established the principle that employers are liable for unintentional discrimination if their hiring criteria unintentionally screen out protected groups, emphasizing the importance of fair, non-discriminatory employment practices.