Federal Court Blocks EEOC Guidance on Employers’ Use of Criminal History for Hiring

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit this week upheld an earlier ruling that rejected federal guidance for employers on hiring felons. The issue goes back to 2012, when the Obama administration’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) tried to make it easier for ex-convicts to find employment.

It its analysis, OMA Connections Partner Dinsmore says this week’s opinion will “undoubtedly” result in widespread legal challenges to the EEOC’s 2012 guidance. Nonetheless, “employers should take caution when devising a policy regarding the treatment of employees or applicants with criminal records” since the “applicability of the EEOC’s guidance will likely be in flux for some time, and other laws remain which must be carefully considered when reviewing the criminal background of an employee or applicant — most notably the Fair Credit Reporting Act and state ‘ban the box’ laws.” 8/8/2019