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EEOC-Initiated Litigation - 2026 Edition

Table of Contents VI
PART I: Agency Composition 1
A. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Composition and Background 1
B. EEOC Recent Staffing Challenges and Budgetary Constraints 2
C. EEOC Profiles 3
PART II: EEOC’s Enforcement Priorities 5
A. EEOC’s FY 2026 Cornerstone Documents 5
1. Background 5
2. Particular FY 2026 Strategic Enforcement Priorities 6
3. EEOC and Wage Hour Division Memorandum of Understanding 10
4. Impact of Loper Bright 11
5. Recent EEOC Guidance on Vision and Hearing 12
6. Focus Area: Hearing Impairment Issues in Recruiting and Hiring 13
7. Staffing Company Issues 13
8. Amicus Briefs and Other Noteworthy Filings 14
9. EEOC Stepping Down from Several Lawsuits 19
10. Changes within the Federal Sector 20
B. EEOC Focus on Pregnancy Discrimination 21
1. The Legal Framework 21
2. Pregnancy-Related Lawsuits 21
3. Subpoena Enforcement Action 23
C. Changing Enforcement Priorities To Protect Workers Against Discrimination 23
1. Ames Decision 24
2. National Origin Discrimination To Protect American Workers 24
D. Religious Discrimination 25
E. EEOC Focus on Equal Pay Protections 28
F. Preventing Discrimination In Recruiting and Hiring 29
1. Artificial Intelligence and Technology in Recruiting and Hiring 29
2. Other Technology in Hiring and the Path Ahead on AI 32
3. Job Advertisements 33
4. Job Segregation or Steering Based on Protected Characteristics 33
5. Focus Area: Shifts in Enforcement for Underrepresented Groups 34
G. Preventing Harassment In The Workplace 35
1. Pregnancy, Childbirth, or Related Medical Conditions 36
2. Harassment in Virtual Work Environments 36
3. Scope of Hostile Work Environment Claims 36
H. EEOC’s Emphasis on Combatting Systemic Discrimination 37
PART III: District Office Profiles 39
PART IV: By The Numbers: EEOC Data Analysis 61
A. Trends in EEOC Federal Court Filings in FY 2025 61
B. EEOC Charge Data Analysis 65
PART V: Industry Focus 69
A. Hospitality 69
B. Healthcare 70
C. Construction 71
D. Retail 72
E. Technology 73
F. Transportation & Logistics 74
PART VI: EEOC Case Resolution 76
A. Resolution Through Conciliation 76
B. Consent Decrees 78
1. General Description of a Consent Decree 78
2. Common Provisions of a Consent Decree 79
C. EEOC Settlement Agreements 81
D. Trial Judgment 82
PART VII: Media and Publicity Elements of an EEOC Case 84
Seyfarth’s Complex Litigation Resources 91
Additional Resources 92

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