Ashcroft v. Iqbal

Holding that a claim is plausible where a plaintiff's allegations enable the court to draw a "reasonable inference" the defendant is liable

Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly

Holding that a complaint's allegations should "contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to 'state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face' "

Burlington N. & Santa Fe Ry. Co. v. White

Holding that a jury could find a reassignment from a position with "an indication of prestige" to one involving less desirable responsibilities "would have been materially adverse to a reasonable employee"

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes

Holding in Rule 23 context that “[w]ithout some glue holding the alleged reasons for all those decisions together, it will be impossible to say that examination of all the class members' claims for relief will produce a common answer”

Gen. Tel. Co. of Sw. v. Falcon

Holding that named plaintiff must prove “much more than the validity of his own claim”; the individual plaintiff must show that “the individual's claim and the class claims will share common questions of law or fact and that the individual's claim will be typical of the class claims,” explicitly referencing the “commonality” and “typicality” requirements of Rule 23

Hazen Paper Co. v. Biggins

Holding that age and years of service, pension status, or seniority are "analytically distinct" and an employer may rely on one while ignoring the other

O'Shea v. Littleton

Holding that "[p]ast exposure to illegal conduct does not in itself show a present case or controversy regarding injunctive relief ... if unaccompanied by any continuing, present adverse effects"

Patterson v. County of Oneida, N.Y

Holding in a 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981 and 1983 context that, “[a]lthough a single incident ordinarily will not give rise to a cognizable claim for hostile work environment, ... [where the plaintiff was subjected to] a physical assault in which [he] was punched in the ribs and ... temporarily blinded by having mace sprayed in his eyes [w]e cannot say that, as a matter of law, such an incident is not sufficiently severe, in all the circumstances, to create a hostile work environment”

Smith v. City of Jackson

Holding that "when Congress uses the same language in two statutes having similar purposes, particularly when one is enacted shortly after the other, it is appropriate to presume that Congress intended that text to have the same meaning in both statutes."

Hayden v. Paterson

Holding that the race-neutral reenactment of a state constitution's felon disenfranchisement provision erased the discriminatory taint of earlier enactments

Rule 8 - General Rules of Pleading

Holding that "[e]very defense to a claim for relief in any pleading must be asserted in the responsive pleading. . . ."

Section 2000e - Definitions

Granting EEOC authority to issue procedural regulations to carry out Title VII provisions

Rule 23 - Class Actions

Holding that, to certify a class, the court must find that "questions of law or fact common to class members predominate over any questions affecting only individual members"

Section 2000e-2 - Unlawful employment practices

Adopting case law prior to June 4, 1989, “with respect to the concept of ‘alternative employment practice’ ”

Section 2000e-5 - Enforcement provisions

Holding charges must be made in writing, under oath, and contain all information as the Commission requires

Section 216 - Penalties

Holding employers liable for “unpaid minimum wages, or their unpaid overtime compensation”

Section 206 - Minimum wage

Asking only whether the alleged inequality resulted from “any other factor other than sex”

Section 1620.13 - "Equal Work"-What it means

Recognizing that application of the equal pay standard is a fact-intensive inquiry that must be determined on a case-by-case basis

Section 1620.9 - Meaning of "establishment."

Stating that “each physically separate place of business is ordinarily considered a separate establishment”

Section 1620.33 - Recovery of wages due; injunctions; penalties for willful violations