Legal case: Griggs v. Duke Power Co.

Griggs v. Duke Power Co. (1971) was a landmark Supreme Court case that addressed employment discrimination. Duke Power required high school diplomas and passing certain tests for job promotions, which disproportionately excluded African American applicants. The Court ruled that employer policies must be related to job performance and cannot, intentionally or not, have a discriminatory effect on protected groups. This case established the "disparate impact" doctrine, meaning that practices are unlawful if they unintentionally disadvantage one group unless they are justified by business necessity. It emphasized fairness in employment practices beyond explicit discrimination.