Justices Say Anti-Bias Laws Cover Retaliation

WASHINGTON (CN) - The U.S. Supreme Court handed down two rulings that expanded the scope of anti-discrimination law to encompass retaliation claims.

In CBOCS West v. Humphries, the justices ruled 7-2 that a provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 covers retaliation claims following complaints for race discrimination.

Similarly, the 6-3 court held in Gomez-Perez v. Potter that federal law prohibiting age discrimination also protects employees from retaliation based on their complaints of workplace bias.