Griggs vs. Duke Powers Company

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(1) An analysis of the biases related to the assessments in the case

The case referenced is "Griggs vs. Duke Powers Company" The Supreme Court issued a ruling that went against Duke Powers to emphasize the prohibition of discrimination in the workplace, Duke Powers had required that employers outside of its Labor Department have a high school education and a passing score on a standardized intelligence test (Rosenthal, 2013). In its ruling, referring to the "Disparate Impact", the court expanded the protection of African American and other minorities that had been granted earlier under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Under Title VII, racial discrimination was prohibited by, "policies, or tests, neutral on the face and even neutral in terms of intent that...operate as built in headwinds for minority groups [and] unrelated to job performance" (Rosenthal, 2013, pp. 2157-2158). The Supreme Court utilized this ruling focused on "disparate impact" that in effect changed the employment opportunities for African Americans and minorities in the workplace. The ruling was designed to break down" arbitrary and artificial barriers to employment for individuals due to race. The ruling held that Title VII protects individuals against overt discrimination and practices that seem fair, but are discriminatory. The court upheld ...