Extract:
Legal strategies shift when different presidential administrations come into power. In the realm of sexual discrimination and harassment lawsuits, one prominent lawyer is calling for state courts to assume some of the responsibility.
Dr. Ann Olivarius, a women’s rights attorney, has been involved with sex discrimination lawsuits her whole life. I spoke with her this week about Donald Trump’s handling of Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education and activities that receive federal funding. We also talked about her support for lookback laws when it comes to suing over sexual harassment and assault claims.
Olivarius said that Trump’s actions regarding the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have been illegal. The agency investigates complaints of job discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, disability, age (40 or older), or genetic information. Trump has sought to pressure its leader to stamp out Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives from all of the federal bureaucracy and anyone receiving federal funding.
“The best thing is to go on a state-by-state basis and fight the battle,” Olivarius said.“Because there are still legal laws to stop discrimination. And I think you should bring the cases where you can possibly bring them.”
We spoke about expanding the statute of limitations for sexual assault survivors. Statutes that do that are called lookback laws.