Rivers v Roadway Express Reply Brief
Public Court Documents
August 10, 1993
115 pages
Cite this item
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Brief Collection, LDF Court Filings. Rivers v Roadway Express Reply Brief, 1993. b822b286-c29a-ee11-be36-6045bdeb8873. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/ddf5a914-dec7-4190-a2d7-6c74c4ad7570/rivers-v-roadway-express-reply-brief. Accessed November 23, 2025.
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No. 92-938
In T h e
Supreme Court of tfje 'SHniteb
Octo b er T e r m , 1993
Maurice Rivers and Robert C. Davison,
Petitioners,
v.
Roadway E xpress, Inc.,
Respondent.
On Writ of Certiorari to the United States
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
REPLY BRIEF FOR PETITIONERS
Elaine R. Jones
‘Charles Stephen Ralston
Eric Schnapper
NAACP Legal Defense &
Educational Fund, Inc.
99 Hudson Street
Sixteenth Floor
New York, NY 10013
(212) 219-1900
Cornelia T.L. Pillard
Kerry Scanlon
NAACP Legal Defense &
Educational Fund, Inc.
1275 K Street, N.W.
Suite 301
Washington. D.C. 20005
(202) 682-1300
Ellis Boal
925 Ford Building
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 962-2770
Attorneys for Petitioners
‘Counsel of Record
PRESS OF BYRON S. ADAMS, WASHINGTON, D.C. (202) 347-8203
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARGUMENT ............................................. ......................... 1
I. THE 1991 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT ITSELF MAKES
CLEAR THAT § 101 APPLIES HERE ................. 1
A. The Statute’s Text and Structure Support
Application of § 1 0 1 ...................................... 1
B. The Identity Between § 1981 Prior to
Patterson v. McLean Credit Union and As
Amended By § 101, and the Virtually
Unanimous Acknowledgment in Congress
of that Identity, Confirm that § 101 is
Restorative .......................... 5
II. TH IS C O U R T SH O U LD R E A F F IR M
BRADLEY V RICHMOND SCHOOL BOARD,
AND APPLY § 101 HERE ................ 6
A. The Default Rule Respondents Advocate
Would Require the Courts to Make
Difficult and Unguided Distinctions
Between New Statutes that Apply to
Pending Cases and New Statutes that Do
Not ......................................................................... 7
B. Bradley Was Consistent With Prior Law . . . . 11
1. Supreme Court C ase s ...................................... 12
2. Court of Appeals Decisions .......................... 12
3. Treatises ............................................................ 12
4. State Constitutions and Laws . . . . . . . . . . 14
5. English Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
6. Prior Views of Respondent’s Counsel . . . . 15
C. Section 101’s Remedial and Procedural
Nature is Unaffected By Whether § 1981
is "A Distinct Positive Law" From Title
VII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
III. T H I S C O U R T S H O U L D N O T
RETROACTIVELY CHANGE RULES ABOUT
STATUTORY APPLICABILITY UPON WHICH
CONGRESS HAS RELIED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
CONCLUSION ----------------. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
11
APPENDICES B-O
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
CASES PAGE
Alexander v. Gardner-Denver,
415 U.S. 36 (1974).............. ............. ....................... 17
Bowen v. Georgetown University Hosp.,
488 U.S. 204 (1988) . . . . . . . . ----- . . . . . . . . . . 10
V Bowles v. Strickland,
151 F.2d 419 (5th Cir. 1945) ................... .. 11, 12
i Dargel v. Henderson,
200 F.2d 564 (Em. Ct. App. 1952) ........................ 12
Bradley v. Richmond School Board,
416 U.S. 696 (1 9 7 4 )............ passim
, Chevron US, Inc. v. National Resources Defense Council,
■ Inc.,
467 U.S. 837 (1 9 8 4 )........ 4
■ Cox v. Thomason,
2 C. & J. 498 (Ct. Exch. 1 8 3 2 )............ .. 15
Dash v. Van Kleeck,
5 Am. Dec. 291 (1811).......................... 14
Freeman v. Moyers,
1 A. & E. 338 (K. B. 1834) ................................. .. 15
Johnson v. Railway Express Agency, Inc.,
421 U.S. 454 (1 9 7 5 )................... 17
IV
Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. v. Bonjomo,
494 U.S. 827 (1990) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . passim
V Kimbray v. Draper,
3 Q.B. (L.R.) 160 (Q.B, 1868) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
— Larkin v. Saffarans,
15 F. 147 (C.C. W.D. Tenn. 1883) . . . . . . . . 11, 12
Leatherman v. Tarrant County,
113 S. Ct. 1160 (1993) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Lytle v, Household Manufacturing, Inc.,
494 U.S. 545 (1990) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Minority Police Officers v. City o f South Bend,
617 F. Supp. 1330 (N.D.Ind. 1985) . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Patterson v. McLean Credit Union,
491 U.S. 164 (1989) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 17
< Pennsylvania v. Union Gas Co.,
491 U.S. 1 (1989)................... ........... ........... .. . 3, 16
A,Society v. Wheeler,
2 Gall. 139 (1814) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Sturges v. Carter,
114 U.S. 511 (1885) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Thorpe v. Housing Authority o f Durham,
393 U.S. 268 (1969) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
'dTowler v. Chatterton,
6 Bing. 258 (Ct. Com. Pleas. 1829) . . . . . . . . . . . 15
V
United States v. Burke,
112 S. Ct. 1867 (1992) . . . ___ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
v United States v. McMann,
434 U.S. 192 (1977)....... .............................................4
Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio,
490 U.S. 642 (1 9 8 9 )........................ 3
Weaver v. Graham,
450 U.S. 24 (1981)............ ........... ....................... 1, 2
Williams v. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway,
627 F. Supp. 752 (W.D.Mo. 1986) .......... ................6
•< Wright v. Hale,
6 Hurl. & Norm. 226 (Ct. Exchequer 1860) . . . . 14
STATUTES
i y Rules Enabling Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2027(a)........................ . 10
42 U.S.C. § 1981 ................... .............................. .. passim
42 U.S.C. § 2000e-e£ s e q ............................................. .. passim
MISCELLANEOUS
1 Kent, Commentaries on American Law ................... .. . 13
Smead, The Rule Against Retroactive
Legislation: A Basic Principle of
Jurisprudence, 20 Minn. L. Rev. (1936) . . . . . . . 14
ARGUMENT
I. THE 1991 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT ITSELF MAKES
CLEAR THAT § 101 APPLIES HERE
A. The Statute’s Text and Structure
Support Application of § 101
The central statutory construction question relating to
the applicability of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 is what
meaning to give to § 402(a). Respondents urge the Court to
abandon any effort to divine meaning from the language of
the statute. They argue that each of the key statutory
provisions which bear on the statute’s applicability —
§ 402(a), § 402(b) and § 109(c) — is devoid of meaning.
Evaluated under normal principles of construction, however,
these provisions are certainly as clear as the provisions this
court has readily construed in Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical
Corp. v. Bonjomo, 494 U.S. 827 (1990), and other cases.
Roadway’s only argument that the Act makes § 101
inapplicable is that the phrase "take effect upon enactment"
was routinely interpreted to apply only to conduct and trials
occurring after enactment. Roadway Br. at 15. The six court
of appeals decisions upon which Roadway relies in support of
this assertion simply do not hold that such language means
that a statute is not to be applied to pending cases. On the
contrary, four of Roadway’s cited cases expressly assert that
such language did not resolve the question of applicability of
the statutes at issue. The other two of Roadway’s cases rely
on different statutory language not present in the 1991 Act in
addition to the general effective date provision. See
Appendix B. Based on these cases, a Congress presumed to
know the existing law would have no basis whatsoever to
assume that "take effect upon enactment" means that the
statute shall not apply to pre-Act conduct.
In Weaver v. Graham, 450 U.S. 24 (1981), another case
upon which Roadway relies, this Court held that language
requiring application of new statutory provisions "on the
2
effective date of the act" must be read to mean that new
provisions did apply to pre-Act conduct. In Weaver, this
Court considered whether a Florida statute diminishing gain
time earned by convicted prisoners by its express terms
applied to gain time earned pre-enactment. The Court
determined that the statute on its face "[c]learly" would apply
"to prisoners convicted for acts committed before the
provision’s effective date." Id. at 31.1 Thus, under Weaver
the Court could, based on the language of § 402(a) alone,
construe § 101 to apply to pending cases addressing pre-Act
discrimination.
In addition to § 402(a), the sections excepting certain
pre-Act cases and conduct from the general rule —- §§ 402(b)
and 109(c) — support petitioner’s position that the Act
expressly applies. These exceptions must be read under
established canons to (i) have a meaning different from
(rather than redundant of) § 402(a) and2 (ii) describe the
only situations receiving the specific treatment they demand.3
The existence of specific exceptions suffices to make
clear the underlying rule even under the exacting standard
1 Once it determined that the statute would apply, the Court then
proceeded to determine that the gain-time amendment violated the ex post
facto clause, but in doing so the Court expressly distinguished its analysis
under the ex post facto clause from "the test for evaluating retrospective
laws in the civil context." Id. at 29, n. 13.
2 See Appendix C (listing Supreme Court cases retying on the anti
redundancy canon).
3 See Appendix D (listing Supreme Court cases relying on the
canon that the inclusion of one tiling implies the exclusion of others
("expressio unius est exclusio alterius"), including two during 1993).
3
applied in Eleventh Amendment cases.4 In Pennsylvania v.
Union Gas Co., 491 U.S. 1 (1989), the Court was faced with
precisely the same kind of indicia of intent that petitioners
point to here, and it held that those indicia sufficed to show
that CERCLA subjected the states to suit in federal court.
Under CERCLA, the general definition of "owners and
operators" was held to be ambiguous standing alone, id. at 8,
n. 2, but an exception that excluded states from liability under
certain circumstances made clear that states were otherwise
subject to suit. That exception acted as "an express
acknowledgement of Congress’ background understanding ...
that States would be liable in any circumstance ... from which
they were not expressly excluded." Id. at 8.
The substance of the Civil Rights Act supports
petitioners’ interpretation of § 402(a). Under Roadway’s
view, §§ 402(b) and 109(c) are redundant, and Roadway
implies that but for errors in final drafting these provisions
would have been eliminated. Roadway Br. at 23. On the
face of the statute, however, it makes sense that Congress
chose to bar application of the Act to pending cases only with
regard to §§ 109(c) and 402(b). While most of the 1991 Act
is procedural and remedial, § 109(c), in contrast, clearly made
illegal under Title VII conduct which had previously been
wholly legal. Section 402(b), which only makes the Act
inapplicable to Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio, 490 U.S.
642 (1989), was arguably a targeted effort to put to rest a
4 The proper standard of clarity according to which the 1991 Act
should be read is not a clear-statement rule, but the standard this Court
employed in Bonjonio. Under Bonjomo, whether the statute’s "plain
language" requires that it be applied to pending cases is determined by
"the most logical reading of the statute," 494 U.S. at 839, 838, which may
be "[ijmplicit," id., 839, and need not be "clear and unequivocal," as
Roadway asserts.
4
case in which, after sixteen years of litigation, plaintiffs had
not established any liability.5
Roadway and USI Film Products are, in effect,
arguing that they, too, should have been included in the
statute’s two express exceptions and obtained the same
treatment as defendants in cases by United States nationals
abroad under § 109(c) and the Wards Cove case under
§ 402(a). Roadway contends that the change made by § 101
is like the change made by § 109, even though for Roadway,
unlike for ARAMCO, the discrimination alleged was illegal
all along under Title VII, and § 101 has no subsection like
§ 109(c) limiting its applicability. USI Film Products
contends that providing for new remedies is unfair in a case
filed in 1989, but the change made by § 402(b) expressly drew
a different line, finding unfairness only in applying the Act to
old cases in which "a complaint was filed before March 1,
1975." It is thus respondents themselves, not petitioners, who
are "waging in a judicial forum a specific policy battle which
they ultimately lost." USI Film Products Br. at 16-17, quoting
Chevron US, Inc. v. National Resources Defense Council, Inc. ,
467 U.S. 837, 864 (1984).
Respondents seek to undercut the "most logical
reading" of the statute by reference to legislative history . But
where the language is reasonably clear, legislative history
must not be relied upon to create ambiguity. United States v.
McMann, 434 US 192, 199 (1977). After the language of the
Act was agreed upon, statements were made on the floor of
the Senate expressing conflicting views on its meaning. Prior
to enactment, however, the vast majority of voting members
expressed no position at all about the meaning of the
effective date provisions, and all that is known about most
5 The constitutionality of § 402(b) has been challenged in the Wards
Cove case.
5
members’ views is that they approved the statute’s text. This
is why the text should be given controlling effect.
B. The Identity Between § 1981 Prior to Patterson v.
McLean Credit Union and As Amended By § 101,
and the Virtually Unanimous Acknowledgment in
Congress of that Identity, Confirm that § 101 is
Restorative
Respondents concede that, if Congress intended § 101
to be restorative, such intent would be evidence in favor of
application of the section to existing cases: "To be sure, the
‘restorative’ purpose of a law ... may provide a suggestion of
Congress’ intent to act retroactively." Roadway Br. at 43.
That § 101 both was restorative and was intended to be is
made evident by a simple comparison of the state of law prior
to Patterson v. McLean Credit Union and after the Civil Rights
Act of 1991. It was well established prior to this Court’s
Patterson decision that § 1981 generally covered
discrimination in all aspects of employment. In addition to
this Court’s repeated assumption that § 1981 covered
discharge, and the Sixth Circuit’s numerous holdings to that
effect,6 the nearly 200 cases listed in Appendix E show that
prior to Patterson § 1981 was overwhelmingly construed to
cover discrimination in every aspect of employment now
included in § 101.7
6 See Petitioners’ Br. at 28, nn. 29, 28.
7 Defendants’ assertion that "the law under Section 1981 was in a
state of flux," Roadway Br. at 30, is completely refuted by the hundreds of
cases holding § 1981 applicable to all aspects of employment. Virtually
every federal judge in the United States who dealt with the issue prior to
Patterson held that § 1981 prohibited discriminatory discharge. In every
area of the law, no matter how settled, there is always some disagreement.
But the two lone district court cases upon which Roadway relies do not
change the reality that § 1981 was interpreted prior to Patterson to have
(continued...)
6
The overwhelming majority of the members of
Congress who spoke about the provision that was finally
enacted as § 101 characterized it as restorative. Appendix F
(listing references to § 1981 as rejecting Patterson to restore
prior law).7 8
II. THIS COURT SHOULD REAFFIRM BRAD LEY V
RICHMOND SCHOOL BOARD, AND APPLY § 101
HERE
If the statutory language is held to be unclear, the
question is what default rule of statutory applicability governs:
the established rule of Bradley v. Richmond School Board, 416
U.S. 696 (1974), and Thorpe v. Housing Authority o f Durham,
393 U.S. 268 (1969), that new statutes generally do apply, or
a new rule purposed by respondents under which they might
not. Roadway urges the Court to overrule Bradley and
7(... continued)
the same coverage as it does amended by § 101. The court in Minority
Police Officers v. City o f South Bend, 617 F. Supp. 1330, 1352, n. 52
(N.D.Ind. 1985), was uncertain whether even the Fourteenth Amendment
prohibited intentional race discrimination in public employment. The
court in Williams v. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Ry., 627 F. Supp. 752,
757, n. 5 (W.D.Mo. 1986), actually acknowledged the prevailing
assumption that Title VII and § 1981 "run parallel, except for the more
liberal damage potential of § 1981," and cited circuit court precedent to
that effect.
8 The fact that the statute as it was enacted says that it "expands"
and provides "additional" protections is not inconsistent with its
restorativeness, nor is President Bush’s reference to "expanded
protections." Viewed relative to the law immediately prior to passage of
the Act in 1991, the law did "expand" and "add" to § 1981 beyond the
contours Patterson accorded it. Viewed relative to the law as it stood prior
to Patterson, however, the 1991 Act restored § 1981. This wording does
not in any way affect the universality of congressional opinion that § 101
was, and was meant to be, restorative, and the necessary conclusion that
§ 101 should be applied here.
7
Thorpe. Respondents rely primarily on the concurring
opinion of Justice Scalia in Bonjomo. Under Justice Scalia’s
rule, new laws should be presumed to apply to pending cases
only where such application is deemed to be "prospective,"
but not where it would have a "retroactive" effect. 494 U.S.
at 841. Because the rule urged by Justice Scalia is contrary
to established law and is entirely unclear in scope, this Court
should reaffirm Bradley.
A. The Default Rule Respondents Advocate Would
Require the Courts to Make Difficult and
Unguided Distinctions Between New Statutes that
Apply to Pending Cases and New Statutes that Do
Not
Notwithstanding important disagreements about the
proper default rule, the parties agree about at least two
points: First, all agree that laws which render illegal conduct
which was legal when it was engaged in, or which eliminate
vested rights (such as property interests or accrued causes of
action), presumptively apply only to conduct occurring after
the new rule is adopted. Under Justice Scalia’s rule,
application of new laws under these circumstances would be
among the types of conduct labelled "retroactive." Under
Bradley, such application would be manifestly unjust.
The second point of agreement is that there is some
category of new laws which presumptively do apply to pre
enactment claims. Justice Scalia proposes to define the word
"retroactive" in such a way that application of some new laws
to pending cases would not be labelled "retroactive."9 Such
5 Roadway asserts that Rivers and Davison committed semantic
suicide by conceding that application of § 101 should be labelled
"retroactive," Roadway Br., at 13, but this assertion is simply false.
Petitioners in their brief, including at the pages cited by Respondent,
(continued...)
8
non-retroactive applications arguably include the attorneys’
fees statute at issue in Bradley,* 10 as well as at least some
procedural and other rules.11 Under Bradley, the category
of cases in which applications of new laws is presumptively
correct includes all laws the application of which would not
produce a manifest injustice, which has consistently been
understood to refer to changes in procedural and remedial
laws. See Appendix G. In essence, what the parties agree
about is simply that there are two categories of new laws —
those which presumptively apply to pending cases, and those
which presumptively do not. The dispute here concerns
where to draw the line between those two categories.
Respondents and Justice Scalia attack Bradley’’s
manifest injustice exception as a mechanism by which "[a]
rale of law, designed to give statutes the effect Congress
intended, has . . . been transformed to a rule of discretion,
giving judges power to expand or contract the effect of
legislative action." Bonjomo, 494 U.S. at 857, cited in
Roadway’s Br. at 49. This contention is baseless, for at least
two reasons:
First, the lower federal courts have implemented this
standard for over a century. The experience of the lower
’(...continued)
consistently pose the question as whether § 101 applies to their pending
claims, not as whether § 101 should be given "retroactive" effect. E.g.
Petitioners’ Br. at 9, 14.
10 See Bonjomo, 494 U.S. at 849 (Scalia, J., concurring).
11 See, e.g. Brief for the American Trucking Associations, et al, as
Amici Curiae Supporting Respondents, at 18 (stating that "it may be that
most procedural changes are unlikely to have any retroactive effect (i.e. to
change the consequences of prior conduct) and may routinely be applied
to pending cases.... Application of such changes to pending cases have [sic]
only prospective effects").
9
courts has established a clear and workable distinction
between procedural and remedial changes in the law on one
hand and changes affecting vested rights or substantive
standards of conduct. See Appendix H; Appendix G. The
principal source of confusion is Justice Scalia’s own assertion
in his concurrence in Bonjomo that Bradley was an
aberration. See e.g., Appendix to Petition for Certiorari in
Landgraf v. USI Film Products, Inc., No. 92-757 (listing cases
applying and not applying the 1991 Civil Rights Act to
pending cases).
Second, this Court itself commonly uses a virtually
identical "justice" standard in its orders instructing lower
courts when to apply new rules to pending cases, presumably
finding it to be a clear standard for application of new rules
to pending cases. See Appendix I (listing orders applying new
rules to pending cases "insofar as just and practicable", or
unless doing so "would not be feasible or would work
injustice"). Justice Scalia himself has approved at least four
such orders, including one on April 17, 1990 — just two
weeks before the Bonjomo decision.
In place of the rule reaffirmed in Bradley, which has
been administered by the lower courts for over a century
without difficulty, Justice Scalia proposes an entirely new rule.
Justice Scalia’s rule will turn on an as-yet-to-be articulated
definition of the term "retroactive." Justice Scalia himself
concedes that adoption of his rule would "n o t... always make
it simple to determine the application in time of new
legislation." Id. at 857. Among the admitted problems with
his proposed approach is that "[i]t will remain difficult, in
many cases ... to decide whether a particular application is
retroactive." Id. Respondents and their amici repeatedly
assert that Justice Scalia’s rule is a clear, "bright-line" rule.
On the contrary, it is an unexplained rule with unforeseeable
consequences.
10
Respondents and Justice Scalia urge that the rule
against "retroactivity" in Bowen v. Georgetown Univ. Hosp.,
488 U.S. 204, 208 (1988), applies to changes in procedural
and remedial laws. Bowen held that "retroactive" rules could
not be promulgated without express statutoiy authority, but
this holding cannot include procedural and remedial rules.
Despite Bowen, and the absence of express authorization for
retroactive rulemaking in the Rules Enabling Act,12 this
Court has itself consistently ordered that amendments to the
Federal Rules be applied in pending cases. See Appendix I
(listing United States Supreme Court Orders applying new
rules to pending cases). These orders would be entirely
inconsistent with Bowen unless Bowen’s, dictate against
"retroactivity" did not extend to procedural changes in
governing law, but rather comported with Bradley in
presuming that such changes are applicable in pending cases.
Even under Justice Scalia’s rule against retroactive
application of new laws, § 101 should be applied here because
the changes that § 101 would cause in this case are not
"retroactive." Rivers and Davison seek application of § 101’s
procedures and remedies in a trial which has not yet
occurred. As explained in our opening brief, what is at stake
here is whether the right to a jury trial and damages under
§ 1981 as amended by § 101 will apply in a retrial of
plaintiffs’ discharge claims on a remand for a trial on these
claims that will occur in any event. Pet. Br., at 9. Whether
a jury will hear the discharge claims is a question that relates
to procedures for conducting a trial in the future. Similarly,
if the jury finds liability on the discharge claim, whether that
12 28 U.S.C. § 2027(a) grants the Court "power to proscribe general
rules of practice and procedure and rules of evidence for cases in the
United States district courts (including proceedings before magistrates
thereof) and courts of appeals." It includes no express grant of power to
apply new rules retroactively.
11
juiy will calculate only the extent of lost wages, or whether it
will also compensate for other harm the discrimination caused
the plaintiffs, is a question relating to the standard for a
decision that the jury has yet to make. Thus, under either
rule, § 101 should apply.
B. Bradley Was Consistent With Prior Law
In his concurrence in Bonjomo, Justice Scalia argued
that Bradley was inconsistent with prior decisions. As we set
forth below and in related Appendices, Bradley was in fact
fully consistent with the law prior to 1974. In reading
decisions prior to Bradley, it is important to bear in mind that
the way in which the courts used the term "retroactive"
changed over time. In the nineteenth century, the courts
generally used the term "retroactive" to refer only to those
laws which they believed should not apply to pre-enactment
claims. The courts labelled "retroactive" laws which, if
applied, would have eliminated accrued causes of action or
impaired vested rights. Application of new remedial and
procedural laws was termed "prospective," or "non
retroactive." "Retroactive" was then, much like "ex post facto"
is today, a conclusory label applied to those categories of
statutes which the courts believed did not properly apply to
pending cases.
The traditional prohibition against "retroactive" laws
is consistent with Bradley as elaborated in Bennett. See
Petitioners’ Br. at 39-45. It was when the courts began to use
the term "retroactive" to refer more generally to any
application of new law to pending cases that the default rule
was properly articulated as favoring retroactive application of
new laws in certain circumstances. See, e.g., Larkin v.
Saffarans, 15 F. 147, 150 (C.C. W.D. Tenn. 1883) (remedial
laws); Bowles v. Strickland, 151 F.2d 419, 420 (5th Cir. 1945)
(procedural laws). In sum, a rule recognizing the distinction
between applicability of new substantive laws and new
12
procedural or remedial changes has been made consistently
for more than a century, and all that has changed is the
language used to describe that rule.
1. Supreme Court Cases
We set forth in our opening brief Supreme Court
cases preceding Bradley which held that changes in procedural
and remedial rules presumptively apply to pending cases. Pet.
Br. at 31-36. We set forth below other authorities.
2. Court of Appeals Decisions
For almost a century prior to Bradley, and for the two
decades since, the lower federal courts consistently recognized
and regularly implemented a distinction between changes in
substantive obligations and changes in remedies or
procedures. One of the earliest decisions observed that the
presumption in favor of application of procedural and
remedial rules to existing claims was "in accordance with the
general rule that all remedial legislation shall be liberally
construed, and particularly should this be so where new
remedies are given." Larkin v. Saffarans, 15 F. 147, 150
(C.C. W.D. Tenn. 1883). That presumption in favor of
applying changes in procedure was understood to refer
broadly to "the procedural machinery provided to enforce"
existing rights. Bowles v. Strickland, 151 F.2d 419, 420 (5th
Cir. 1945). The distinction between the two presumptions
was, as one court put it, "settled rule" long before Bradley.
Dargel v. Henderson, 200 F.2d 564, 566 (Em. Ct. App. 1952).
Among the pre-Bradley circuit court opinions on this issue,
there does not appear to be a single dissent. Under this long-
established distinction, statutes providing for more complete
relief for conduct that was already actionable were construed
to apply to pending claims. See Appendix H.
3. Treatises
Justice Scalia in Bonjomo quotes Chancellor Kent’s
13
statement that "it cannot be admitted that a statute shall, by
any fiction or relation, have any effect before it was actually
passed." Bonjomo, 494 U.S. 855 (Scalia, J., concurring),
quoting J. Kent, Commentaries on American Law *455. But
Chancellor Kent goes on to explain that his objection is to a
law "affecting and changing vested rights," and emphasizes
that the doctrine quoted by Scalia
is not understood to apply to remedial statutes,
which may be of a retrospective nature,
provided they do not impair contracts, or
disturb absolute vested rights, and only go to
confirm rights already existing, and in
furtherance of the remedy ... adding to the
means of enforcing existing obligations.
Commentaries on American Law at *455-*456 (Emphasis
added). Justice Scalia also quotes Justice Story’s statement
that
retrospective laws are ... generally unjust; and
... neither accord with sound legislation nor
with the fundamental principles of the social
compact.
108 L. Ed. 2d at 856, quoting J. Story, Commentaries on the
Constitution, § 1398 (1851). Respondents rely on the same
quotation. Roadway Br. at 9. But Justice Story himself
defined "retrospective law" not to refer to any new statute
affecting pending cases, but as a
statute which takes away or impairs vested
rights acquired under existing laws, or creates
a new obligation, imposes a new duty, or
attaches a disability, in respect to transactions
or considerations past.
Society v. Wheeler, 2 Gall. 139 (1814). Over a century ago the
Supreme Court read Justice Story’s definition to mean that a
14
statute providing a new remedy to enforce an existing right
was not, even as applied to a pre-Act violation, a "retroactive
law." Sturges v. Carter, 114 U.S. 511, 519 (1885). By the end
of the nineteenth century, treatises uniformly made this
distinction. See Appendix I. The article by Instructor Smead
on which Justice Scalia and Respondents relied is expressly
about statutes which, if applied in pending cases, would
eliminate vested rights.13
4. State Constitutions and Laws
Justice Scalia noted in Bonjomo that a number of state
constitutions contain express prohibitions against "retroactive"
laws. 494 U.S. at 856. These state provisions have long been
construed, however, in a manner consistent with pre-Bradley
federal decisional law, not to forbid new legislation at
provided different remedies or procedural mechanisms to
enforce pre-existing obligations. See Appendix K. Cases
from other states also support the distinction upon which
petitioners rely. See Appendix L. Judge Kent’s opinion in
Dash v. Van Kleck is expressly limited to statutes which alter
vested rights. 5 Am. Dec. 291, 308, 309, 310, 312 (1811)
(opinion of Kent, J.); see also, id, at 302, 303, 306 (opinion of
Thompson, J.).
5. English Cases
Respondents contend that their rule "has an ancient
lineage," Roadway Br. at 9, but it is clear that the distinction
between statutes altering standards of conduct or vested
rights and statutes affecting procedures and remedies for
enforcing those standards and rights was established in Great
Britain by the mid-nineteenth century. The leading case was
Wright v. Hale, 6 Hurl. & Norm. 226 (Ct. Exchequer 1860),
13 Smead, The Rule Against Retroactive Legislation: A Basic Principle
o f Jurisprudence, 20 Minn. L. Rev. 775, 781, n. 22 (1936).
15
which applied to pending cases a newly enacted statute
limiting awards of costs. Baron Pollock explained that
"[t]here is a considerable difference between new enactments
which affect vested rights and those which merely affect the
procedure in courts of justice, such as those relating to the
service of proceedings, or what evidence must be produced to
prove particular facts.... Rules as to the costs to be awarded
in an action are of that description, and are not matters in
which there can be vested rights."14 English common law
does not support the rule respondents advocate, which would
reject application of any new rule that alters a party’s expense
associated with past conduct.
6. Prior Views of Respondent’s Counsel
Counsel for Respondent Roadway argues with great
force that Bradley is bad law, and has been repudiated by the
Supreme Court in cases such as Bowen and Bennett. The
same counsel told the Senate in May 1990, however, precisely
the opposite. He described Bradley as governing law under
14 6 Hurl. & Norm, at 230-31; see also id. at 231-32 (Channel, B.)
("In dealing with acts of parliament which would have the effect of taking
away rights of action, we ought not to construe them as having a
retrospective operation, unless it appears clearly that such was the
intention of the legislature; but the case is different where the Act merely
regulates practice and procedure"); Kimbray v. Draper, 3 Q.B. (L.R.) 160,
163 (Q.B. 1868) (Blackburn, J.) ("When the effect of an enactment is to
take away a right, prima facie it does not apply to existing rights; but
where it deals with procedure only, prima facie it applies to all actions
pending as well as future"); Towler v. Chatterton, 6 Bing. 258 (Ct. Com.
Pleas. 1829) (applying to pending case new statute regarding evidence
needed to place case outside limitations period); Cox v. Thomason, 2 C.
& J. 498 (Ct. Exch. 1832) (applying to pending case new rule of court
regarding taxation of costs). In Freeman v. Moyers, 1 A. & E. 338 (K. B.
1834), (holding applicable to pending cases a new statute rendering certain
unsuccessful plaintiffs liable for costs).
16
which, as petitioners here contend, new laws that affect
procedures and remedies are presumptively applicable to
pending litigation. See Appendix M.
C. Section 101’s Remedial and Procedural Nature is
Unaffected By Whether § 1981 is "A Distinct
Positive Law" From Title VII
Roadway does not contend that discriminatory
discharge was legal at the time it fired Rivers and Davison.
Because race discrimination in any aspect of employment,
including discharge, was prohibited under Title VII when
Roadway discharged Rivers and Davison, applying § 101 here
to authorize a jury trial and damages for the discharge claim
simply applies additional remedies and procedures for
conduct which has at all times been illegal. Whether § 1981,
as amended by § 101, is a "separate" or "distinct positive" law
from Title VII does not affect the fact that application of
§ 101 here is remedial. Cf. Pennsylvania v. Union Gas Co.,
491 U.S. at 8, n. 2 (reading separately enacted legislation "in
combination") (emphasis in original). The location of the
codification of § 1981 and Title VII in the statute books is
not determinative of whether application of the § 101 jury
trial and damages provisions in this case is remedial.15
13 Even if where § 101 is codified were determinative, § 101 is
properly viewed as remedial of discrimination prohibited by Title VII.
Title VII and § 1981 are both codified in Chapter 21 of Title 42 of the
United States Code. Section 101 is codified as § 1981(b). The 1991 Act
expressly recognizes the interrelationship between § 1981 and Title VII by
codifying the new Title VII damages provisions at § 1981A. Roadway’s
position is thus reduced to a contention that plaintiffs could prevail only
if Congress had also moved § 2000e-5(a) of Title VII to make it part of
§ 1981. Only the most arbitrary and unworkable doctrine would make
such a detail of statutory compilation determinative of whether § 101
applies to pending discrimination claims.
17
The federal courts have overwhelmingly rejected
Roadway’s reasoning that, where the substantive conduct at
issue was prohibited when engaged in, a new remedy does not
apply if the preexisting prohibition was established by a
different law from that in which the remedy was announced.
See Appendix N. The very cases upon which Roadway relies
support the conclusion that § 101 provides additional
remedies for employment discrimination which Title VII also
prohibits. See Roadway Br. at 27-29. For example, this
Court in Johnson v. Railway Express Agency, Inc., 421 U.S. 454
(1975), characterized § 1981 as "a remedy," id. at 466, and
referred to Title VII as conferring "remedies" that are co
extensive with § 1981, id. at 459, and to Title VII and § 1981
as "two procedures" for enforcing the same rights. Id.16
Alexander v. Gardner-Denver, 415 U.S. 36 (1974), similarly
emphasized that legislative enactm ents in the
nondiscrimination area, specifically including Title VII and
§ 1981, "have long evinced a general intent to accord parallel
or overlapping remedies against discrimination." Id. at 47.
Roadway mischaracterizes the issue presented by this
case when it asks whether § 101 should be applied to
"conduct which was adjudicated to be non-discriminatory
prior to the date on which Section 101 became law," Roadway
Br. at i, or to "trials occurring before the date of its
enactment." Id. at iii, iv, 8, 13, 26; see id. at 14. The question
is not whether § 101’s new remedies could require a new trial
of claims that were properly tried under pre-Act law, but
16 See e.g. Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, 491 U.S. 164 (1989)
(referring repeatedly to the different "remedies" and the "procedures"
§ 1981 and Title VII provide for the same conduct); United States v. Burke,
112 S.Ct. 1867, 1873 (1992) (explaining that "the circumscribed remedies
available under Title VII stand in marked contrast... to those available ...
under other federal antidiscrimination statutes....") (emphasis supplied).
18
whether § 101 should be applied to a new trial which will
occur in any event, without regard to whether § 101
applies.17
17 Although it declined to apply § 101, the Sixth Circuit remanded
the § 1981 retaliatory discharge claim for trial on the ground that the
district court’s dismissal of that claim turned on a misapplication of
Patterson. On remand, the jury — to which plaintiffs are already entitled
on the retaliation claim under Patterson, even apart from § 101 ■— may
find that Roadway did discriminate against the plaintiffs in their efforts to
enforce their contract rights. If the jury so finds, then the district court’s
factual finding of non-discrimination under Title VII cannot collaterally
estop the jury’s verdict, but will have to be vacated and a new Title VII
judgment entered consistent with the jury’s verdict. Lytle v. Household
Mf gInc . , 494 U.S. 545 (1990), cited in Hatvis v. Roadway Express, 973
F.2d 490, 495 (6th Cir. 1992), P.A. 9a-10a. Respondents did not raise for
consideration by this Court any issue of collateral estoppel. Cf
Leatherman v. Tarrant County, 113 S. Ct. 1160, 1162 at n. 1 (1993).
Roadway suggests that the district court’s Title VII determination
on the claim of discriminatory discharge would not be reopened because
"the court of appeals did not purport to remand on those claims; it
remanded only on the retaliation claims." Roadway Br., at 4 n. 1. As the
Court of Appeals recognized in its opinion, however, if the jury’s
determination on the common issues of fact relating to racial motive
differs from the judge’s, the Seventh Amendment requires that the jury’s
determination prevail. The district court will then have to vacate the
inconsistent Title VII determination. If the 1991 Act applies here, the jury
will determine the discharge claim as well as the retaliation claim, and
determine the propriety of damages on each; if not, the court will enter
a judgment on discharge. It is thus not a "free-standing jury trial right,"
Roadway Br. at 35, which Rivers and Davison assert, but a right to have
a jury on claims when those claims are to be adjudicated in any event.
The appellate court’s failure to vacate the Title VII judgment
does not affect plaintiffs’ rights under Lytle. It could well have been
considered premature for the court of appeals, rather than the district
court on remand, to vacate the Title VII judgment. If the jury decides
that no discrimination occurred, the Title VII judgment need not be
disturbed.
19
III. THIS COURT SHOULD NOT RETROACTIVELY
CHANGE RULES ABOUT STATUTORY
APPLICABILITY UPON WHICH CONGRESS HAS
RELIED
There is probably no area of the law where stare
decisis is of such practical importance, and so vital to
preserving the proper balance between Congress and the
courts, as the rules of statutory construction. The rules of
construction are a critical part of the context in which
Congress legislates; they control the terms, syntax and
structure which Congress must use to achieve a desired result.
Changing a rule of construction would be as disruptive of the
law-making process as a decision to change by judicial fiat the
meaning of a word commonly used in federal statutes. The
truism that Congress is presumed to legislate with a
knowledge of the law is particularly important, and realistic,
with regard to the principles of statutory construction.
Over the course of the last two decades, congressional
reports and individual members of Congress have repeatedly
referred to Bradley as establishing the rule of interpretation
regarding pre-Act claims. See Appendix O. Since 1974,
Congress has enacted more than 5000 Public Laws
encompassing 40,000 pages of Statutes at Large. Stat. at
Large, vols. 89-106. In the vast majority of these statutes,
Congress chose not to attempt to specify expressly which
provisions would and would not apply to pre-existing cases,
but decided instead to let that issue be determined through
judicial application of established legal principles. To now
alter the rules of interpretation applicable to those statutes
would wreak havoc with the intent and expectations of
Congress.
Bradley has proved to be a highly accurate method of
ascertaining congressional intent. Despite the frequency with
which this issue has arisen in the courts, it appears that
20
Congress has never overturned by legislation any of the
circuit court decisions before or after Bradley regarding the
applicability of particular statutes to pre-Act claims. Justice
Scalia’s concurrence in Bonjomo now proposes, paradoxically,
that the Court announce — and apply retroactively — a new
rule against the retroactive application of new rules.
CONCLUSION
The judgment of the court of appeals should be
reversed insofar as it did not apply the Civil Rights Act of
1991 petitioners’ pending claims.
Respectfully submitted,
C h a r l e s St e p h e n R a l s t o n
NAACP Legal Defense &
Educational Fund, Inc.
99 Hudson Street
16th Floor
New York, NY 10013
(212) 219-1900
August 10, 1993
APPENDICES
INDEX TO APPENDICES
A1 Appellate Cases in Which the United States
Has Sought to Apply a New Statute to a Pre-
Existing Claim
B A p p e lla te D ecisions U pon W hich
Respondents Rely Construing "Take Effect
Upon Enactment"
C United States Supreme Court Decisions
Applying the Canon of Construction that No
Word in a Statute Should be Read to Be
Redundant
D United States Supreme Court Decisions
Recognizing the Canon of Construction
"Expressio Unius Est Exclusio Alterius"
E Lower Federal Court Decisions Prior to
Patterson v. McLean Credit Union Interpreting
42 U.S.C. § 1981 to Cover All Conduct
Covered by § 1981 as Amended By § 101 of
the Civil Rights Act of 1991
F Legislative History References to § 101 as
Restoring Pre-Patterson Interpretation of
§ 1981
G Court of Appeals Decisions Since Bradley v.
Richmond Sch. Bd. Applying Statutes
Affecting Remedies and Procedures to
Pending Cases
APPENDIX DESCRIPTION
This was an Appendix to Petitioners’ opening brief.
2a
H Court of Appeals Decisions Prior to Bradley v.
Richmond Sch, Bd. Recognizing a Distinction
Between New Laws Affecting Standards of
Conduct or Vested Rights, Which Were
Presumed Inapplicable to Pending Cases, and
Methods for Enforcing Existing Rights, Which
Were Presumed Applicable
I United States Supreme Court Orders
Applying New Rules to Pending Cases Absent
Injustice
J Old Treatises Recognizing the Rule in Favor
of Application of New Remedial Procedural
and Restorative Statutes to Pending Cases
K Colorado, Montana, New Hampshire, and
Ohio Cases Interpreting the Respective State
C onstitu tional Provision P roh ib iting
"Retroactive" Statutes
L Other State Cases Interpreting Prohibitions
on "Retroactive" Statutes
M Prior View of Roadway Counsel Glen D.
Nager Expressed in Legislative History of
Civil Rights Act of 1991
N Court of Appeals Decisions Applying New
Statutes Providing Additional Remedies for
Conduct Already Illegal Under Other Law
O Decisions Citing to Legislative History In
Which Members of Congress Expressed Their
Reliance on Bradley v, Richmond School Bd.
APPENDIX B
Appellate Decisions Upon Which Respondents Rely
Construing "Take Effect Upon Enactment"
Court held phrase did not resolve applicability:
1. Leland v. Federal Ins. A d m ’r, 934 F.2d 524, 529 (4th
Cir.) cert, denied, 112 S. Ct. 417 (1991) (giving
credence to Bradley and analyzing question without
regard to statutory language about application upon
enactment, but rather concluding that no
congressional intent "is discernible from [Jeither the
language of the amendment itself []or from any other
indication of congressional intent")
2. Jensen v. Gulf Oil Refining & Marketing Co., 623 F.2d
406, 409 (5th Cir. 1980) (relying on Bradley and
holding "we do not find the statement that the
amendment prohibiting involuntary retirement before
age sixty-five shall take effect upon enactment
dispositive") (emphasis added).
3. Sikora v. American Can Co., 622 F.2d 1116,1120 (3rd
Cir. 1980) (citing Bradley in its exposition of the law
and stating "we turn to the statute under
consideration and find its language equivocal.
Congress simply provided that the amendment
prohibiting involuntary retirement before age 65
’shall take effect on the date of enactment of this
Act...’") (emphasis added). 4
4. Yakim v. Califano, 587 F.2d 149, 150-51 (3rd Cir.
1978) (relying on Bradley in holding that language in
§ 20 directing that statute take effect on the date of
enactment gives "no explicit direction on the
retroactivity issue," and proceeding to determine that
B-2
it was a different statutory subsection, § 15(c) which
"indicated] that Congress was aware of the
retroactivity problem and decided to limit such effect
to those cases eligible for a fresh review under the
Reform Act")(emphasis added).
Court also relied on different statutory language:
5. Condit v. United Air Lines, Inc., 631 F.2d 1136, 1140
(4th Cir. 1980) (citing Bradley, but deciding based on
text that the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which in
addition to stating that it shall take effect upon
enactment states that it "shall not apply to any fringe
benefit program or fund, or insurance program which
is in effect on the date of enactment of this Act until
180 days after enactment of this Act," is inapplicable
where it would impose liability for actions under a
fringe benefit program which occurred 7 years prior
to the Act).
6. Schwabenbauer v. Board o f Education, 667 F.2d 305,
310 n. 7 (2d. Cir. 1981) (relying on Condit and the
same additional statutory language considered there
in order not to apply the Pregnancy Discrimination
Act where it would have "invalidated past conduct").
APPENDIX C
United States Supreme Court Decisions
Applying the Canon of Construction that
No Word in a Statute Should be Read to be Redundant
1. Sale v. Haitian Centers Council Inc., 113 S. Ct. 2549
(1993)
2. United States v. Nordic Village, Inc., 112 S. Ct. 1011,
1015 (1992)
3. Liljeberg v. Health Services Acquisition Corp., 486
U.S. 847, 859-60 n.8 (1988)
4. Mackey v. Lanier Collection Agency and Serv., Inc.,
486 U.S. 825, 837 (1988)
5. Kungys v. United States, 485 U.S. 759, 778 (1988)
6. Mountain States Tel. and Tel. Co. v. Pueblo o f Santa
Ana, 472 U.S. 237, 249 (1985)
7. Securities Industry A ss’n v. Bd. o f Governors o f
Federal Reserve System, 468 U.S. 207, 165 (1984)
8. Jewett v. Commissioner o f Internal Revenue, 455
U.S. 305, 315 (1982)
9. Colautti v. Franklin, 439 U.S. 379, 392 (1979)
10. Colgrove v. Battin, 413 U.S. 149, 184 (1973)
11. United States v. Menasche, 348 U.S. 528, 538-39
(1955)
12. Shapiro v. United States, 335 U.S. 1 (1948)
C-2
13. Singer v. U.S., 323 U.S. 338, 344 (1945)
14. Montclair v. Ramsdell, 107 U.S. 147, 152 (1883)
15. Market Co. v. Hoffman, 101 U.S. 112, 115-16 (1879)
APPENDIX D
United States Supreme Court Decisions
Recognizing the Canon of Construction
"Expressio Unius Est Exclusio Alterius"
1. Crosby v. United States, 506 U .S ,___, 122 L Ed. 2d
25, 30 (1993)
2. Leatherman v Tarrant County, 507 U .S .___, 122 L.
Ed. 2d 517, 524 (1993)
3. Sullivan v. Hudson, 490 U.S. 877, 891-93 (1989)
4. United States v. Wells Fargo Bank, 485 U.S. 351, 357
(1988)
5. California Coastal Comm’n v. Granite Rock Co.,
480 U.S. 572, 600 (1987)
6. Herman & MacLean v. Huddleston, 459 U.S. 375,
387 n.23 (1983)
7. Becker v. United States, 451 U.S. 1306, 1309 (1981)
8. Transamerica Mortgage Advisors, Inc. v. Lewis, 444
U.S. 11, 30 n.6 (1979) (White J., dissenting)
(criticizing the majority for implicitly applying the
canon, but recognizing the canon except where it
would constrict a statute’s remedial purpose)
9. Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill, 437 U.S. 153, 188
(1978)
10. National R.R. Passenger Corp. v. National A ss’n o f
R.R. Passengers, 414 U.S. 453, 458 (1974)
D-2
11. Evans v. Newton, 382 U.S. 296, 311 (1966) (White
J., concurring)
12. Nashville Milk Co. v. Carnation Co., 355 U.S. 373,
375-76 (1958)
13. Wilko v. Swan, 346 U.S. 427, 434 n.18 (1953)
14. SEC v. C.M. Joiner Leasing Corp., 320 U.S. 344, 350
(1943)
15. Neuberger v. Commissioner o f Internal Revenue, 311
U.S. 83, 88 (1940)
16. Ford v. United States, 273 U.S. 593, 611 (1927)
17. United States v. Barnes, 222 U.S. 513, 518-19 (1912)
18. Bend v. Hoyt, 38 U.S. 263, 271 (1839)
19. United States v. Arredondo, 31 U.S. 691, 724-25
(1832) (applying the canon).
APPENDIX E
Lower Federal Court Decisions Prior to
Patterson v. McLean Credit Union Interpreting
42 U.S.C. § 1981 to Cover All Conduct Covered by § 1981
as Amended By § 101 of the Civil Rights Act of 1991
FIRST CIRCUIT
Oliver v. Digital Equipment Corp., 846 F.2d 103 (1st Cir.
1988) (discharge; harassment; terms and conditions).
Rowlett v. Anheiser-Busch, Inc., 832 F.2d 194 (1st Cir.
1987) (discharge; retaliation).
Springer v. Seaman, 821 F.2d 871 (1st Cir. 1987)
(discharge).
Bums v. Sullivan, 619 F.2d 99 (1st Cir. 1980) cert, denied
449 U.S. 893 (1980) (promotion denial).
DeGrace v. Rumsfeld, 614 F.2d 796 (1st Cir. 1980)
(discharge; harassment)
Castro v. Beecher, 459 F.2d 725 (1st Cir. 1972) (hiring;
recruitment)
Townsend v. Exxon Company, U.S.A., 420 F. Supp. 189
(D.Mass. 1976) (refusal to rehire; discharge)
SECOND CIRCUIT
Tach v. Chemical Bank, 849 F.2d 775 (2nd Cir. 1988)
(retaliatory discharge).
E-2
Lopez v. S.B. Thomas, Inc., 831 F.2d 1184 (2d Cir. 1987)
(constructive discharge; harassment).
De Cintio v. Westchester County Medical Center, 821 F.2d
111 (2d Cir. 1987) (retaliation; discharge).
Hill v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. o f N.Y., 786 F.2d 550 (2d
Cir. 1986) (discharge).
Martin v. Citibank, N.A., 762 F.2d 212 (2nd Cir. 1985)
(discharge).
Grant v. Bethlehem Steel Corp., 622 F.2d 43 (2d Cir. 1980)
(retaliation).
Hudson v. International Business Machines, Inc., 620 F.2d
351 (2d Cir. 1980) cert, denied, 449 U.S. 1066 (1980)
(retaliation).
Powell v. Syracuse University, 580 F.2d 1150, cert, denied
439 U.S. 984 (1978) (2d Cir. 1978) (discharge).
Brown v. Ralston Purina, 557 F.2d 570 (2d Cir. 1975)
(discharge).
Carrion v. Yeshiva University, 535 F.2d 722 (2d Cir. 1976)
(discharge; promotion denial).
DeMatteis v. Eastman Kodak Co., 511 F.2d 306 (2d Cir.
1975). (discharge; retaliation).
Williams v. State University o f N.Y., 635 F. Supp. 1243
(E.D.N.Y. 1986) (discharge).
Almendral v. New York State Office o f Mental Health, 568
F. Supp. 571 (S.D.N.Y. 1983) aff’d in relevant part, 743
F.2d 953 (2d Cir. 1984) (promotion denial; discharge;
retaliation)
E-3
Ingram v. Madison Square Garden Center, Inc., 482 F.
Supp. 414 (S.D.N.Y. 1979) (hiring; terms and conditions;
promotion denial).
Patterson v. United Federation o f Teachers, 480 F. Supp.
550 (S.D.N.Y. 1979) (failure to represent).
Williams v. Interstate Motor Freight System, 458 F. Supp. 20
(S.D.N.Y. 1978) (discharge).
Lee v. Bolger, 454 F. Supp. 226 (S.D.N.Y. 1978)
(promotion denial).
THIRD CIRCUIT
Kelly v, Tyk Refractories Co., 860 F.2d 1188 (3rd Cir. 1988)
(discharge; constructive discharge).
Roebuck v. Drexel University, 852 F.2d 715 (3rd Cir. 1988)
(failure to grant tenure).
Lewis v. University o f Pittsburgh, 725 F.2d 910 (3rd Cir.
1983) cert, denied 469 U.S. 892 (1984) (promotion denial).
Wilmore v. City o f Wilmington, 699 F.2d 667 (3rd Cir.
1983) (promotion denial).
Walton v. Eaton Corp., 563 F.2d 66 (3rd Cir. 1977)
(discharge; harassment)
Wilson v. Sharon Steel Corp., 549 F.2d 276 (3rd Cir. 1977)
(discharge; terms and conditions).
Commonwealth o f Pa. v. Flaherty, 404 F. Supp. 1022 (W.D.
Pa. 1975) (hiring).
E-4
FOURTH CIRCUIT
Sharma v. Lockheed Engineering & Mgmt. Services, Co.,
Inc. 862 F.2d 314 (4th Cir. 1988) (discharge).
Hughes v. International Business Machines Corp., 848 F.2d
185 (1988) (promotion denial; terms and conditions)
Lilly v. Harris-Teeter Supermarket, 842 F.2d 1496 (4th Cir.
1988) (promotion denial; terms and conditions).
Crawford v. College Life Insurance o f America, 831 F.2d
1057 (4th Cir. 1987) (discharge)
McCausland v. Mason County Board o f Education, 649
F,2d 278 (4th Cir. 1981) cert, denied 454 U.S. 1090
(discharge).
Sledge v. I P Stevens & Co., 585 F.2d 625 (4th Cir. 1978)
cert, denied 440 U.S. 981 (1979) (hiring; promotion denial;
recall; terms and conditions).
Reynolds v. Abbeville County School District No. 60, 554
F.2d 638 (4th Cir. 1977) (discharge).
Roman v. E.S.B., Inc., 550 F.2d 1343 (4th Cir. 1976)
(discharge; hiring)
Patterson v. American Tobacco Co., 535 F.2d 257 (4th Cir.
1976) cert, denied 429 U.S. 920 (1976) (promotion denial;
hiring).
Day v. Patapapsco & Back Railroad Co., 504 F. Supp. 1301
(D.Md. 1981) (terms and conditions; seniority system)
E-5
FIFTH CIRCUIT
Johnson v. Chapel Hill Independent School District, 853
F.2d 375 (5th Cir. 1988) (failure to rehire; retaliation).
Hernandez v. Hill County Telephone Corp., 849 F.2d 139
(5th Cir. 1988) (hiring; promotion denial; retaliation).
Comeaux v. Unirogal Chemical Corp., 849 F.2d 191 (5th
Cir. 1988) (discharge).
Price v. Digital Equipment Corp., 846 F.2d 1026 (5th Cir.
1988).
Page v. US Industries, Inc., 726 F.2d 1038 (5th Cir. 1984)
(hiring; promotion denial).
Freeman v. Motor Convoy, 700 F.2d 1339 (5th Cir., 1983)
(hiring; seniority).
Adams v. McDougal, 695 F.2d 104 (5th Cir. 1983) (terms
and conditions; failure to rehire).
Williams v. New Orleans Steamship Association, 688 F.2d
412 cert, denied 460 U.S. 1038 (1982) (5th Cir. 1982)
(terms and conditions).
Pinkard v. Pullman-Standard, 678 F.2d 1211 (5th Cir.
1982) cert, denied 459 U.S. 1105 (1983) (discharge;
retaliation).
Payne v. Travenol Lab, 673 F.2d 798 (5th Cir. 1982)
(hiring; promotion denial).
Rivera v. City o f Wichita Falls, 665 F.2d 531 (5th Cir. 1982)
(hiring; promotion denial).
E-6
Bobo v. ITT, Continental Baking Company, 662 F.2d 340
(5th Cir. 1982) cert, denied 456 U.S. 933 (1982)
(discharge).
McWilliams v. Escambia County School Board, 658 F.2d,
326 (5th Cir. 1981) (transfer; demotion; promotion
denial).
Jackson v. City o f Kileen, 654 F.2d 1181 (5th Cir. 1981)
(discharge).
Whiting v. Jackson State University, 616 F.2d 116 (5th Cir.
1980) (discharge).
Crawford v. Western Electric, 614 F.2d 1300 (5th Cir. 1980)
(promotion denial).
Grigsby v. North Mississippi Medical Center, 586 F.2d 457
(5th Cir. 1978) (discharge; promotion denial; terms and
conditions).
Claiborne v. Illinois Central Railroad, 583 F.2d 143 (5th
Cir. 1978) cert, denied 442 U.S. 934 (1979) (promotion
denial; discharge).
Barnes v. Jones County School District, 575 F.2d 490 (5th
Cir. 1978) (discharge; demotion).
Parson v. Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp., 575 F.2d
1374 (5th Cir. 1978) cert, denied 441 U.S. 968 (1979)
(retaliation; promotion denial).
Prophet v. Armco Steel, Inc., 575 F.2d 579 (5th Cir. 1978)
(discharge)
Gamer v. Ciarrusso, 571 F.2d 1330 (5th Cir. 1978)
(retaliation; discharge; terms and conditions).
E-7
Jenkins v, Caddo-Bossier Association for Retarded Citizens,
570 F.2d 1227 (5th Cir. 1978) (discharge; promotion
denial; harassment; hiring)
Turner v. Texas Instruments, Inc., 555 F.2d 1251 (5th Cir.
1977) (discharge).
Harkless v. Sweeny, Ind., 554 F.2d 1353 (5th Cir. 1977) cert,
denied 434 U.S. 966 (1977) (failure to rehire).
Smith v Olin, 535 F.2d 862 (5th Cir. 1976) (discharge).
Faraca v. Clements, 506 F.2d 956 (5th Cir. 1975) cert,
denied 422 U.S. 1006 (1975) (failure to rehire).
Cooper v. Allen, 493 F.2d 765 (5th Cir. 1975) (hiring).
Belt v. Johnson Motor Lines, 458 F.2d 443 (5th Cir. 1972)
(promotion denial; terms and conditions).
Sanders v. Dobbs Houses, Inc., 431 F.2d 1097 (5th Cir.
1970) cert, denied 401 U.S. 948 (1971) (discharge).
Quarles v. Northern Miss. Retardation Center, 455 F. Supp.
52 (N.D. Miss. 1978) aff’d, 580 F.2d 1051 (5th Cir. 1978)
(discharge).
SIXTH CIRCUIT
Erebia v. Chrysler Plastic Products Corp., 863 F.2d 47 (6th
Cir. 1988) (harassment).
Singala v. Electroha Corp., 862 F.2d 316 (6th Cir. 1988)
(discharge).
Simmonds v. Superior Pontiac Cadillac, Inc., 861 F.2d 721
(6th Cir. 1988) (discharge).
E-8
Horton v. Edgcomb Metals Company, 860 F.2d 1079 (6th
Cir. 1988).
Waller v. Thames, 852 F.2d 569 (6th Cir. 1988)
(harassment; constructive discharge).
Hill v. Duriron Company, Inc., 656 F.2d 1208 (6th Cir.
1981) (discharge)
Grano v. Department o f Development, 637 F.2d 1073 (6th
Cir. 1980) (terms and conditions)
Everson v. McLouth Steel Corp., 586 F.2d 6 (6th Cir. 1978)
(discharge)
Winston v. Lear-Siegler, 558 F.2d 1266 (6th Cir. 1977)
(discharge; retaliation)
Long v. Ford Motor Co., 496 F.2d 500 (6th Cir. 1974)
(discharge; terms and conditions; promotion)
Rodgers v. Peninsular Steel Co., 542 F. Supp. 1215 (N.D.
Oh. 1982) (hiring; promotion; harassment)
Hatton v. Ford Motor Co., 508 F. Supp. 620 (E.D. Mich.
1981) (discharge)
McGee v. Grand Rapids, 486 F. Supp. 584 (W.D. Mich.
1980), aff’d, 663 F.2d 1072 (6th Cir. 1981) (discharge)
SEVENTH CIRCUIT
Yarborough v. Tower Oldsmobile, Inc., 789 F.2d 508 (7th
Cir. 1986) (discharge).
E-9
Ramsey v. American Air Filter Co., 772 F.2d 1303 (7th Cir.
1985) (terms and conditions; harassment; layoff;
discharge).
Christensen v. Equitable Life Assurance Society, 767 F.2d
340 (7th Cir. 1985) cert, denied 474 U.S. 1102 (1985)
(constructive discharge).
Mason v. Continental III. National Bank, 704 F.2d 361 (7th
Cir. 1983) (promotion denial).
Ekamen v. Health and Hospitals Corporation o f Marion
County, 589 F.2d 316 (7th Cir. 1978) cert, denied 469 U.S.
821 (1984) (hiring; promotion; terms and conditions;
retaliation)
Flowers v. Cronch-Walker Corp., 552 F.2d 1277 (7th Cir.
1977) (discharge).
Stewart v. General Motors Corp., 542 F.2d 445 (7th Cir.
1976) cert, denied 433 U.S. 919 (1977) (discharge)
Gunn v. Dow Chemical Co., 522 F.Supp. 1172 (S.D. Ind.
1981) (terms and conditions; constructive discharge)
Dawson v. Pastrich, 441 F.Supp. 133 (N.D. Ind. 1977)
(hiring)
EIGHTH CIRCUIT
Tart v. Levi Strauss & Co., 864 F.2d 615 (8th Cir. 1988)
(discharge).
Lassiter v. Covington, 861 F.2d 680 (8th Cir. 1988)
(discharge).
E-10
Estes v. Dick Smith Ford, 856 F.2d 1097 (8th Cir. 1988)
(discharge)
Edwards v. Jewish Hospital o f St. Louis, 855 F.2d 1345 (8th
Cir. 1988) (discharge).
Scoggins v. Bd. o f Education o f the Nashville, Arkansas
Public Schools, 853 F.2d 1472 (8th Cir. 1988) (discharge).
Monroe v. Guardsmark, Inc., 851 F.2d 1065 (8th Cir.
1988). (discharge)
Pacheco v. Advertisers Lithographing, 657 F,2d 191 (8th Cir.
1981) (promotion denial; suspension).
Owens v. Ramsey Corp., 656 F.2d 340 (8th Cir. 1981)
(discharge)
Taylor v. Jones, 653 F.2d 193 (8th Cir. 1981) (discharge).
Johnson v. Bunny Bread Co., 646 F.2d 1250 (8th Cir. 1981)
(discharge; constructive discharge).
Setser v. Novack Investment Co., 638 F.2d 1137 (8th Cir.
1981) (retaliation).
Martin v. Arkansas Arts Center, 627 F.2d 876 (8th Cir.
1980) (discharge)
Middleton v. Remington Arms Co., Inc., 594 F.2d 1210 (8th
Cir. 1979) (discharge)
Hudak v. Curators o f the University o f Missouri, 586 F.2d
105 (8th Cir., 1978) cert, denied 440 U.S. 985 (1979)
(discharge; harassment; terms and conditions)
DeGraffenreid v. General Motors Assembly Division, 558
F.2d 480 (8th Cir. 1977) (discharge)
E -ll
Donaldson v. Pillsbury Co., 554 F.2d 825 cert, denied, 434
U.S. 856 (1977)(8th Cir. 1977) (discharge)
Thompson v. McDonnell Douglas Corp., 552 F,2d 220 (8th
Cir. 1977) (constructive discharge).
Stevens v. Junior College o f St. Louis, 548 F.2d 779 (8th
Cir. 1977) (discharge; retaliation)
Jimerson v. Kisco, 542 F.2d 1008 (8th Cir. 1976)
(discharge).
King v. Yellow Freight Systems, Inc., 523 F,2d 879 (8th Cir.
1975) (discharge)
Payne v. Ford Motor Co., 461 F.2d 1107 (8th Cir. 1972)
(terms and conditions)
Brady v. Bristol Meyers, Inc., 459 F.2d 621 (8th Cir. 1976)
(terms and conditions)
Poindexter v. Kansas City, Mo. Water Dept., 573 F. Supp.
647 (W.D. Mo. 1983) aff’d 754 F.2d 377 (8th Cir. 1984)
(discharge)
Robertson v. Doctor’s Hospital, 570 F.Supp. 663 (E.D. Ark.,
1983) (discharge)
Farrakhan v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 511 F. Supp. 893 (D.
Neb. 1980) (discharge)
Rose v. Eastern Neb. Human Services Agency, 510 F. Supp.
1343 (D. Neb. 1981) (discharge)
Lindsey v. Angelica Corp., 508 F. Supp. 363 (E.D. Mo.
1981) (hiring)
E-12
Madrigal v. Certaineed, 508 F. Supp. 310 (W.D. Mo. 1981)
(discharge)
Metcalf v. Omaha Steel Castings Co., 507 F. Supp. 679 (D.
Neb. 1981) (discharge)
Williams v. Trans World Air Lines, Inc., 507 F. Supp. 293
(W.D. Mo. 1980), aff’d , 660 F.2d 1267 (8th Cir. 1981)
(discharge)
Spearman v. Southwestern Bell, 505 F. Supp. 761 (E.D. Mo.
1980), aff’d 662 F.2d 509 (8th Cir. 1981)
Coleman v. General Motors, 504 F. Supp. 900 (E.D. Mo.
1980), (8th Cir. 1981) (discharge; retaliation)
Taylor v. Jones, 495 F.Supp. 1285 (E.D. Ark., 1980)
(non-renewal; discharge)
Setser v. Novack Investment Co., 483 F. Supp. 1147 (E.D.
Mo. 1980), rev’d on other grounds, 638 F.2d 1137, (8th Cir.
1980), vac’d and amended, 657 F.2d 962 (8th Cir. 1981)
(retaliation; hiring)
Sutton v. Addressograph-Multigraph Corp., 481 F. Supp.
1148 (E.D. Mo. 1979) (discharge)
Buckley v. City o f Omaha, 477 F. Supp. 754 (D. Neb. 1978)
aff’d, 605 F.2d 1078 (8th Cir. 1979)(discharge)
Slotkin v. Human Development Corp., 454 F. Supp. 250
(E.D. Mo. 1978) (retaliation; constructive discharge)
Mixon v. Hanley Ind., 454 F. Supp. 386 (E.D. Mo. 1978),
aff’d, 594 F.2d 869 (8th Cir. 1978) (failure to rehire;
discharge)
E-13
Oliver v. Moberly Missouri School District, 427 F. Supp. 82
(E.D. Mo. 1977) (hiring)
Mopkins v. St. Louis Die Casting Corp., 423 F. Supp. 132
(E.D. Mo. 1976), aff’d, 569 F.2d 454 (8th Cir. 1978)
(discharge)
Jimerson v. Kisco Co., 404 F. Supp. 338 (E.D. Mo. 1976),
aff’d, 542 F.2d 1008 (8th Cir. 1978) (discharge)
NINTH CIRCUIT
Brown v. Boeing Company, 843 F.2d 501 (9th Cir. 1988)
cert, denied, 488 U.S. 865 (1988)(discharge).
Mitchell v. Keith, 752 F.2d 385 (9th Cir. 1985) cert, denied,
M2 U.S. 1028 (1985)(discharge; retaliation)
Wiltshire v. Standard Oil Co., 652 F.2d 837 (9th Cir. 1981)
(discharge)
London v. Coopers & Lyhrand, 644 F.2d 811 (9th Cir.,
1981) (retaliation; discharge)
St. John v. Employment Development Corp., 642 F.2d 273
(9th Cir. 1981) (retaliation; discharge).
Shah v. Mt. Zion Hospital and Medical Center, 642 F.2d
268 (9th Cir. 1981) (discharge; retaliation)
Fong v. American Airlines, Inc., 626 F.2d 759 (9th Cir.
1980) (discharge)
Miller v. Bank o f America, 600 F.2d 211 (9th Cir. 1979)
(discharge).
E-14
Smallwood v. National Can Co., 583 F.2d 419 (9th Cir.
1978) (retaliation; terms and conditions)
Cooper v. Dept, o f Administration, State o f Nevada, 558 F.
Supp. 244 (D. Nev. 1982) (hiring)
Sethy v. Alameda County Water Dist., 545 F.2d 1157 (9th
Cir. 1976) (discharge; harassment)
Chatman v. U.S. Steel, 425 F. Supp. 753 (N.D. Ca., 1977)
(terms and conditions)
TENTH CIRCUIT
Skinner v. Total Petroleum, Inc., 859 F.2d 1439 (10th Cir.
1988) (retaliatory discharge; discriminatory discharge).
McAlester v. United Air Lines, Inc., 851 F.2d 1249 (10th
Cir. 1988) (discharge).
Hicks v. Gates Rubber Co., 833 F.2d 1406 (10th Cir. 1987)
(harassment).
Meade v. Merchants Fast Motorline, Inc., 820 F.2d 1124
(10th Cir. 1987) (discharge).
Whatley v. Scaggo Companies, Inc., 707 F.2d 1129 (10th
Cir. 1983) cert, denied, 464 U.S. 938 (1983) discharge).
Trujillo v. State o f Colorado, 649 F.2d 823 (10th Cir. 1981)
(retaliation; terms and conditions; hiring)
Shah v. Halliburton Co., 627 F.2d 1055 (10th Cir. 1980)
(discharge)
Manzanares v. Safeway Stores, 593 F.2d 968 (10th Cir.
1978) (terms and conditions)
E-15
Zuniga v. AMFAC Foods, Inc., 580 F.2d 380 (10th Cir.
1977) (discharge)
Taylor v. Safeway Stores, Inc., 524 F.2d 263 (10th Cir.
1975) (discharge)
Foster v. M.C.I., 555 F. Supp. 330 (D.Colo. 1983) aff’d, 773
F.2d 1116 (10th Cir. 1985) (discharge)
Whatley v. Skaggs, 502 F.Supp. 370 (D.Colo. 1980), aff’d,
707 F.2d 1129 (10th Cir. 1983) (discharge; demotion)
LaFore v. Emblem Tape & Label, 448 F.Supp. 824
(D.Colo. 1978) (discharge)
Apodaca v. General Electric Corp., 445 F. Supp. 821
(D.N.M. 1978) (discharge)
Enriquez v. Honeywell, Inc., 431 F. Supp. 901 (W.D. Ok.
1977) (terms and conditions)
ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
Baker v. Buckeye Cellulose Corp., 856 F.2d 167 (11th Cir.
1988) (retaliation).
Swint v. Pullman Standard, 854 F.2d 1549 (11th Cir. 1988)
(promotion denial; terms and conditions).
Zaklama v. Mt. Sinai Medical Center o f Greater Miami, 842
F.2d 291 (11th Cir. 1988) (discharge).
Graham v. Jacksonville, 568 F. Supp. 1575 (M.D.Fla. 1983)
(discharge)
Nation v. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., 567 F. Supp. 997
(N.D.Ga. 1983) (promotion; demotion)
E-16
Schwartz v. State o f Florida, 494 F. Supp. 574 (N.D.Fla.
1980) (hiring)
Johnson v. City o f Albany, Georgia, 413 F Supp. 782
(N.D.Ga. 1983) (hiring; promotion)
D.C. CIRCUIT
Frazier v. Consolidated Edison Corp., 851 F.2d 1447 (D.C.
Cir. 1988) (discharge).
Barber v. American Security Bank, 841 F.2d 1159 (D.C. Cir.
1988) (discharge).
Underwood v. District o f Columbia Armory Bd., 816 F.2d
769 (D.C. Cir. 1987) (promotion denial).
Carter v. Duncan-Huggins, Ltd., 727 F.2d 1225 (D.C. Cir.
1984) (terms and conditions).
Metrocare v. Washington Area Metro Area Transit Authority,
679 F.2d 922 (D.C. Cir. 1982) (discharge; failure to
promote).
Harris v. Group Health Association, Inc., 662 F.2d 869
(D.C.Cir. 1981) (discharge)
Weahkee v. Perry, 587 F.2d 1256, (D.C.Cir. 1978)
(discharge; promotion)
Payne v. Blue Bell, 550 F. Supp. 1324 (M.D.N.C. 1982)
(discharge).
Gray v. Greyhound Lines, East, 545 F.2d 169 (D.C.Cir.
1981) (terms and conditions; hiring)
E-17
Pope v. City o f Hickory, North Carolina, 541 F. Supp. 872
(W.D.N.C. 1981), aff’d 679 F.2d 20 (4th Cir. 1982)
(discharge; terms and conditions).
Cormier v. P.P.G. Industries, 519 F. Supp. 211 (W.D. La.
1981) aff’d, 702 F.2d 567 (5th Cir. 1982) (hiring;
promotion denial).
Adams v. Gaudet, 515 F. Supp. 1086 (W.D.La. 1981)
(hiring; promotion denial).
Fisher v. Dillard Univ., 499 F. Supp. 525 (E.D. La. 1980)
(discharge; terms and conditions).
Reynolds v. Sheet Metal Workers Local 102, 498 F.Supp.
952 (D.D.C. 1980), aff’d. 702 F2d. 221 (D.C.Cir. 1981)
(hiring; training)
Crawford v. Railway Express, Inc., 485 F. Supp. 914 (W.D.
La. 1980) (retaliation).
Johnson v. Olin Corp., 484 F. Supp. 577 (S.D. Tex. 1980)
(discharge)
Robertson v. Maryland State Department, 481 F. Supp. 108
(D.Md. 1978) (termination; failure to rehire)
Liotta v. National Forge Co., 473 F. Supp. 1139 (W.D. Pa.
1979) , aff’d in part, rev’d in part, 629 F.2d 903 (3rd Cir.
1980) (discharge; retaliation).
Walker v. Robbins Hose Co., 465 F. Supp. 1023 (D.Del.,
1979) (hiring).
Queen v. Dresser Industries, Inc., 456 F. Supp. 257 (D.Md.
1978) aff’d 609 F.2d 509 (4th Cir. 1979) (terms and
conditions).
E-18
Neely v. City o f Grenada, 438 F. Supp. 390 (N.D. Miss.
1977) (hiring; promotion denial).
Crocker v. Boeing Co., 437 F. Supp. 1138 (E.D. Pa. 1977),
aff’d, 662 F.2d 975 (3rd Cir. 1981) (hiring; lay-offs;
promotion denial; terms and conditions; harassment)
Winston v. Smithsonian Science Information Exchange, Inc.,
437 F.Supp. 456 (D.D.C. 1977), aff’d, 595 F.2d 888
(D.C.Cir. 1979) (discharge; terms and conditions)
Jaw a v. Fayettevill State Univ., 426 F. Supp. 218 (E.D.N.C.
1976) (discharge; terms and conditions; promotion denial;
retaliation).
Johnson v. Shreveport Garment Co., 422 F. Supp. 526
(W.D.La. 1976), aff’d, 577 F.2d 1132 (5th Cir. 1978)
(terms and conditions; promotion denial).
Morris v. Board o f Education, 401 F. Supp. 188 (D.DeL,
1975) (discharge; failure to rehire).
APPENDIX F
Legislative History References to
§ 101 as Restoring Pre-Patterson
Interpretation of § 1981
M E M B E R O R REFERENCE TO § 101
OTHER SOURCE OF THE CRA AS
W/ PAGE CITE RESTORATIVE
SENATE-FEBRUARY 7. 1990
Kennedy
(S1018)
"The Civil Rights Act of 1990 is
intended to overturn these Supreme
Court decisions and restore and
strengthen these basic laws. The
Patterson decision, interpreting the
1866 civil rights law . . . nullified the
only Federal antidiscrimination law
applicable to the 11 million workers
in . . . firms with fewer than 15
employees. Already the damage is
unmistakable . . . and [the decision]
should be overruled by Congress."
Jeffords
(S1021)
"The Civil Rights Act of 1990 was
drafted with the specific intention of
overruling dome of these decisions,
as well as to restore and strengthen
our civil rights laws. . . First. In
Patterson versus McLean Credit
Union, the Court reached the
astounding conclusion that [§ 1981]
pertained only to the formation of
F-2
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
Hatfield
(S1023)
Simon
(S1024)
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
the contracts and not to any conduct
occurring thereafter. . . The Civil
Rights Act of 1990 amends section
1981 to reaffirm that the right to
make and enforce contracts includes
the enjoyment of all the benefits,
privileges, terms and conditions of
the contractual relationship."
"The Civil Rights Act of 1990 would
essentially overturn, those Supreme
Court decisions. . . First, it would
restore the prohibition against racial
discrimination in the making and
enforcement of contracts. . . [to
include] the enjoyment of all
benefits, terms and conditions of the
contractual relationship."
"The Civil Rights Act of 1990 would
reverse five Supreme Court decisions
that do particular harm to the notion
of equal employment rights for all.
The bill would reverse Patterson. . ."
"Fortunately, Congress can, and
should, step in to restore the civil
rights safety net ripped open by the
Supreme Court."
F-3
MEMBER OR REFERENCE TO § 101
OTHER SOURCE OF THE CRA AS
W/ PAGE CITE RESTORATIVE
Packwood
(SI024)
Cranston
(S1025)
"During 1989, however, the U.S.
Supreme Court issued a series of
d e c i s i o n s in e m p l o y m e n t
discrimination cases that threaten to
set back our progress in the area of
job opportunity by decades. As a
result of the decision in Patterson
. . . victims of even the most
egregious racial harassment in the
workplace can obtain no meaningful
remedy."
"The bipartisan legislation being
introduced today is designed to
reverse the adverse impact of these
decisions and to restore our Nation’s
strong and effective weapons against
employment discrimination."
SENATE-JUNE 8, 1990
Labor and Human
R e s o u r c e s
Committee Report
(Page 12)
"Many Supreme Court decisions
have held that section 1981 prohibits
intentional race discrimination in the
making and enforcement of private
contracts, as well as in state action
affecting individuals’ ability to make
and enforce contracts. . . The
Patterson decision sharply cut back
on the scope and effectiveness of
section 1981."
F-4
MEMBER OR REFERENCE TO § 101
OTHER SOURCE OF THE CRA AS
W/ PAGE CITE RESTORATI VE
(Page 58) Section 12 of the 1990 CRA "is
intended to overrule the Supreme
Court’s decision in Patterson, which
adopted an incorrect, crabbed
interpretation of the law known as
section 1981. . . . The Act would
overrule Patterson."
SF.NATE-JULY 10. 1990
Hatch "I have to say that with respect to
(S9331) the Patterson versus McLean case,
which the distinguished Senator
from Massachusetts said has to be
overruled, there is no disagreement.
I agree with that. I have from the
beginning. The White House, as far
as I know, has from the beginning
. . . We agree that section 1981
. . . should also cover the terms and
conditions. . . We are going to
overturn Patterson."
■SENATE—JULY 17. 1990
Mikulski "That section of the substitute seeks
(S9845) to overrule the Supreme Court’s
decision in Patterson . . . and to
restore the prohibition against all
racial discrimination in the making
F-5
MEMBER OR REFERENCE TO § 101
OTHER SOURCE OF THE CRA AS
W/ PAGE CITE RESTORATIVE
Kennedy
(S9848)
and carrying out of contracts in 42
U.S.C. § 1981."
"Now, we put the law back to what it
was prior to Patterson in our
substitute. The Bush administration
has also adopted virtually similar
language in their own proposal, to
overturn Patterson."
SENATE-JULY 18. 1990
Kennedy Objecting to a substitute which
(S9906) would not adequately restore section
1981, stating "it is quite clear that
the substitute would offer no relief
to Brenda Patterson or to the
victim s of intent ional race
discrimination in the more than 200
other cases dismissed because of the
S u p r e m e C o u r t ’ s c l e a r
misinterpretation of the law, because
we are restoring the rights of these
various defendants to what they
were prior to the time of the Brenda
Patterson [decision], and the
substitute does not do so."
F-6
Kassebaum
(S9906)
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
Dodd
(S9914)
Cranston
(S9942)
Conrad
(S9957)
"We all wish to address the five
Supreme Court decisions in a way
that can correct those decisions so
that we can address the question of
discrimination that was weakened by
those five Supreme Court decisions."
"Last year, however, the Supreme
Court shocked the American public,
the Congress, and even the
administration when it blatantly
reneged on its commitment to
providing hard-working Americans
equal protection under laws. . . To
restore the heart and soul to our
civil rights laws . . . the Congress, in
my view must act to overturn the
1989 Supreme Court rulings."
"The Civil Rights Act of 1990
restores the proper balance between
employee and employer rights by
conforming the congressional intent
regarding the broad scope of our
civil rights laws."
"This is an incredibly important
proposal. It reverses or modifies a
series of Supreme Court decisions
which have severely weakened our
country’s civil rights protections."
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
F-7
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
Kohl
(S9957)
"I am proud to support efforts to
restore remedies and protections to
employees who are victims of
discrimination."
Riegle
(S9957)
"One of last year’s most egregious
S u p r e m e C o u r t d e c i s i o n s ,
[Patterson], seriously limited the
scope of section 1981 by protecting
only against discrimination in the
making of an employment contract;
that is, hiring. . . . This decision
seriously undermines the equal
opportunity laws which have been
developed over the years."
Kerry
(S9958)
"Tonight we attempt to reverse the
recent actions of the Supreme Court
and restore the full force of the
antidiscrimination law."
Levin
(S9961)
"The Civil Rights Act of 1990 will
restore and strengthen our civil
rights laws to the scope which
Congress intended and which the
courts had interpreted them to have
until the 1988-89 Supreme Court
term."
F-8
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
H O U SE-JU LY 30. 1990
The Patterson decision sharply cut
back on the scope and effectiveness
of section 1981, shattering the
uniform concensus the federal courts
had reached on the scope of the
statute. . . . Prior to the Patterson
ruling, every federal court of appeals
had held that section 1981 prohibits
not just discrimination at the
formation of an employment
contract, but discrimination during
the performance of that contract as
well. . . . The committee finds that
The Supreme Court’s ruling in
Patterson v. McLean Credit Union
conflicts federal appellate case law
defining the scope of section 1981."
(Page 86) "The purpose of enacting the Civil
Rights Act of 1990 is to restore the
rights, protections and remedies that
were available under Title VII and
Section 1981 prior to last year’s
Supreme Court’s decisions. . . .
[Section 1981] has provided
important and in many instances
exclusive federal relief against race
discr iminat ion in cont ractual
relations, including employment
relationships, for many years."
C o m m i t t e e on
E d u c a t i o n and
Labor Report
(Page 17)
F-9
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
HO U SE-JU LY 31. 1990
J u d i c i a r y
Committee Report
(Page 42)
"Many Supreme Court decisions
have held that Section 1981 prohibits
intentional racial discrimination in
the making and enforcement of
private contracts . . . In Patterson,
the Supreme Court gave Section
1981 a narrow interpretation. . . .
This subsection overrules Patterson."
HOUSE-AUGUST 2. 1990
Hayes
(H6324)
"It would certainly be a sad
commentary if we were to fail today
to restore and strengthen our laws
that attempt to wipe out prejudice
on the job."
Lloyd
(H6332)
"What we want to accomplish today
is to restore the degree of civil rights
protection provided by the 1866 and
1964 acts."
LaFalce
(H6774)
"Our discrimination laws, as
interpreted by the Supreme Court,
are now disgracefully weak. We
must reverse those Supreme Court
decisions, and we must strengthen
the civil rights law that exist."
F-10
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
Panetta
(H6779)
"The Supreme Court unfortunately
has eroded those tools and
undermined the ability to protect
equal rights. This bill restores the
vital tools that we need for
enforcement."
Levine
(H6733)
”[T]his legislation, unamended will
reverse what the Supreme Court has
done in the late 1980’s, in order to
restore what we thought we were
doing as a nation in the 1960’s."
Lowey
(H6790)
"The Civil Rights Act of 1990-H.R.
4000-overturns these decisions. It
will restore and strengthen our civil
rights laws by making clear that
employment decisions based on
prejudice are illegal."
Oakar
(H6791)
"[Tjhis legislation, in seeking to
overturn six recent Supreme Court
decisions, merely restores civil rights
laws to the conditions prior to 1989."
F -ll
Mineta
(H6793)
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
Stokes
(H6794)
Owens
(H6795)
Espy
(H6796)
Vento
(H6799)
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
"In recent years, a number of
decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court
have weakened U.S. civil rights laws-
the very laws that make our nation
great. Today, with the Civil Rights
Act of 1990, the House has the
opportunity to restore the health and
integrity of our commitment to civil
rights."
"In effect, the Supreme Court has
taken us back to where we were
before 1964. Now Congress is
having to restore those rights."
"We have the opportunity today to
help stop the backward slide, to
repudiate the Supreme Court’s
attack on equal employment
opportunity and restore the vitality
of our civil rights laws."
"[T]his is not just a civil rights bill,
this is a civil [rights] restoration act."
"H.R. 4000 clarifies Congressional
intent and reinstates prior Federal
judicial interpretations to include all
aspects of a private contract. . ."
F-12
MEMBER OR REFERENCE TO § 101
OTHER SOURCE OF THE CRA AS
W/ PAGE CITE RESTORATIVE
Kennelly
(H6758)
HOU SE-A UG U ST 3. 1990
"This legislation we have before us
only attempts to restore those
policies that we, in the Congress,
thought were operative until the
Supreme Court narrowed the
application of the law. . . . I think it
is critical that we restore the law."
Matsui
(H6763)
"The Civil Rights Act of 1990
restores to women and minorities in
the workforce the guarantee that
their rights will not be abridged."
Serrano
(H6764)
"The purpose of the [Act] is to
restore and restrengthen civil rights
laws that ban discrimination in
employment."
Edwards
(H9977)
HOUSE-OCTOBER 17. 1990
"The Civil Rights Act of 1990
amends the Civil Rights Acts of 1866
and 1964 to restore and strengthen
civil rights laws th a t ban
discrimination in employment. The
Suprem e C ourt dram atically
narrowed these laws in a series of
decisions last year."
F-13
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
Hayes
(H9989)
"This legislation . . . restores and
strengthens the protections of every
American and moreover, it sends a
clear message that there will be not
be any reversal on our national
commitment to equal justice for all."
SENATE-OCTOBER 16, 1990
Hatch
(S15329)
"There is one aspect of this bill
everyone agrees with, as I
understand it, or at least
overwhelmingly would agree with
and that is the . . . overrule of the
Patterson versus McLean case."
Metzenbaum
(S15334)
"This conference report embodies
the will of a strong majority of the
Senate. More importantly, the
conference report restores basic civil
rights protections for millions of
Americans. Women and minorities
were victimized last year in a series
of stunning Supreme Court
decisions. Those decisions turned
back the clock on our progress
toward equal opportunity."
Mikulski
(S15377)
"[A]ll this legislation does is restore
certain civil rights that were
overturned by certain other legal
F-14
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
cases,"
Adams
(S15379)
"These rulings marked an erosion of
the more than 25 years of progress
made in eliminating discrimination
in the workplace. I am proud that
today we will reverse this trend and
again send a message to employers
throughout this country that the
American people will not tolerate
discrimination."
Levin
(S15381)
"The Civil Rights Act of 1990 would
restore and strengthen our civil
rights laws in a balanced way."
Mitchell
(S15400)
"[The bill] seeks to restore to the law
the interpretation of job-place
discrimination which was the law of
the land from 1971 to 1989. It
would restore explicitly to the law
the understanding that a contract
cannot be honored in the making
and broken in the performance
without contravening the law."
F-15
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
SENATE-OCTOBER 24. 1990
Hatch
(S16565)
Expressing opposition to one version
of the bill, "except for the overrule
of the Patterson versus McLean case
which would take care of Brenda
Patterson. We are prepared to do
that right now. We are for
overruling the Patterson versus
McLean case."
Kassebaum
(S16575)
"It is the President’s view, a view I
strongly share, that legislation is
needed to address the Supreme
Court decisions handed down last
year that have weakened civil rights
protections. These rulings have
swung the pendulum in favor of
employers and against the real and
potential victims of discrimination
and harassment."
Kerry
(S16577)
"This bill is designed to correct those
decisions, to restore the full force of
the antidiscrimination laws which
have guided us for more than two
decades."
Hoi lings
(S16580)
"[I]t is clear to any citizen that
[Patterson] twisted the spirit of the
law, and the current legislation is
needed to restore its intent."
F-16
MEMBER OR REFERENCE TO § 101
OTHER SOURCE OF THE CRA AS
W/ PAGE CITE RESTORATIVE
Akaka
(SI6585)
"Those of us who support civil rights
sought this bill to overturn six recent
Supreme Court decisions that have
greatly diminished the ability of
women and minorities to win job
discrimination suits. We saw our
vote as restoring prohibitions against
employment discrimination that have
been in force for nearly 20 years."
Levin
(SI6586)
"This bill would restore some of the
rights we fought so hard for in the
1960’s and 1970’s that were lost in a
few Supreme Court decisions in the
1980’s. Those decisions last year
took us backward. This bill would
overturn those decisions and take us
forward."
Simpson
(S2261)
SENATE--FEBRUARY 22. 1991
" In a g r e e m e n t w i t h t h e
administration, Senator Kennedy,
and the civil rights groups, my bill
would also overturn . . . Patterson."
Hatch
(S3026)
SENATE-M ARCH 12. 1991
"I am pleased that that bill overturns
. . . Patterson."
F-17
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
SEN A TT-JU N E 4. 1991
Durenberger
(S7026)
Chafee
(S7027)
The Civil Rights Act overturns
Patterson and "[a]ll interested
parties, including the administration,
civil rights groups and business
groups, agree that these two cases
incorrectly narrowed the protections
available to minorities."
Patterson and the other 1989
S u p r e m e C o u r t d e c i s i o n s
"established far more stringent
requirements than had previously
existed in discrimination suits. . .
At worst, the Court took a 180-
degree turn from what we in
Congress over the years have tried
to do. At best they took an
unnecessarily severe interpretation
of our intent. . . We wrote the
statutes that the Court interpreted.
We must be sure the rights
guaranteed by those statutes remain
intact."
F-18
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
Brooks
(H3834)
Gephardt
(H3837)
Gunderson
(H3841)
H O U SE-JU N E 4. 1991
Patterson and other 1989 decisions
"narrowed the interpretation of these
laws and threaten to erode the
progress we have made. Passage of
H.R. 1 is, therefore, essential to
assure fair treatment in the work
place for all Americans."
The CRA of 1991 "restores the law
as it existed before the 1989
Supreme Court decisions that
weakened an individual’s recourse
against discrimination and all but
denied victims of discrimination
protection under the law."
"The President overturns the
Supreme Court on Patterson. Yes,
the Democratic bill does, too."
Moorhead "[T]he much criticized Patterson case
(H3843) is overruled."
Clay The 1991 Act "simply seeks to
(H3844) restore the fair balance between
employers and employees that
existed for 25 years prior to the
Supreme Court’s notorious 1989
te rm .. . Those 1989 decisions gutted
title VII’s effectiveness."
F-19
Wolpe
(H3845)
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
Collins
(H3859)
Hughes
(H3859)
Espy
(H3862)
Mineta
(H3862)
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
Central purpose of the 1991 Act "is
simply to restore equal employment
opportunity to where it was before a
series of recent Supreme Court
decisions made it much more
d i f f i c u l t f o r v i c t i m s o f
discrimination,"
In Patterson "the Court turned the
clock back" and the bills she
supported "would reinstate these
modern-day protections."
The Patterson provision and certain
other provisions "will restore civil
rights standards that served us well
for many years. . . This legislation
will correct the aggressive tilt in the
civil rights law created by five 1989
U.S. Supreme Court decisions."
The CRA of 1991 "does not make
any radical changes in civil rights
law. . . It will restore laws which
have served our Nation well."
"Before the Supreme Court
decisions, we had a system that
worked for 18 years and could have
worked for years to come. We need
to put that system back in place."
F-2Q
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
Stokes
(H3863)
The Supreme Court wrote "in the
law a series of loopholes that permit
many employers to discriminate with
virtual impunity. . . H.R. 1 would
close the court-created loopholes."
Lewis
(H3865)
The CRA of 1991 "only attempts to
take us back to where we were
before the recent Supreme Court
decisions."
Kennedy
(H3866)
"For decades, the Court said that an
1866—-yes, 1866-—law prevented
discrimination on the job. Now the
Court says that the law only prevents
prejudice at the door—at the time of
hiring. . . Now we are going to do
something about these latest
backward decisions. Because
America will not tolerate racial bias
on the job any more than at the time
of hiring."
Romer
(H3866)
The CRA of 1991 "will restore and
strengthen the equal employment
opportunities that were severely
weakened by Supreme Court
decisions in 1989."
F-21
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
Edwards
(H3869)
The 1991 Act "amends the Civil
Rights Acts of 1866 and 1964 to
restore and strengthen their
prohibition against employment
discrimination. The Supreme Court
dramatically narrowed these laws in
a series of decisions in 1989. . . The
Michel Republican substitu te
reverses only one of the devastating
1989 Supreme Court decisions, the
Patterson case."
Levine
(H3875)
The CRA Act of 1991 "would
restore to the disenfranchised
American workers equal opportunity
rights lost in Supreme Court
decisions in 1989."
Gunderson
(H3885)
" B o t h [ H . R . 1 a n d t h e
Administration’s bill] overturn the
Supreme Court in Patterson,
restoring the expansive reading of
protections against discrimination in
all aspects of contracts."
Owens
(H3888)
"We have the opportunity today to
help stop the backward slide, to
repudiate the Supreme Court’s
attack on equal employment
opportunity and restore the vitality
of our civil rights laws."
F-22
Waters
(H3890)
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
Towns
(H3895)
Goodling
(H3900)
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
The Supreme Court decisions
"effectively eroded rights that we
thought we already had."
In Patterson, the Supreme Court
"has stripped workers of any
protection against racial or sexual
harassment at work. . . Only
Congress can fully restore the
protections and remedies stripped
from American workers by the 1989
Supreme Court decisions."
"Probably the most important of all
is the Patterson case, which is totally
reversed by the President’s" bill.
The Michel substitute "restores the
expansive reading of section 1981
that racial discrim ination is
prohibited in all aspects of the
making and enforcem ent of
contracts. . . . As did my colleagues
on the other side of the aisle, we
recognize that. . . . the Supreme
Court restricted Federal civil rights
protections in a manner that was not
consistent with the intent of
Congress."
F-23
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
Brooks
(H3928)
Morelia
(H3938)
Shays
(H3946)
Zimmer
(H3947)
H O U SE-JU N E 5. 1991
"[DJespite the complexity of the
subject matter, the simplicity of the
legislative goal remains clear—that of
restoring what had been the law and
what had been the operating
procedures for the past 25 years
before the Supreme Court decided
to change the rules in midcourse."
The 1989 decisions "have narrowed
the application of important civil
rights laws" and the substitute
"restores and strengthens our civil
rights laws."
The recent Supreme Court decisions
in 1989 "seriously weakened the
employment protection provisions of
the landmark 1964 act. The reality
is we need the Brooks-Fish civil
rights bill to undo the damage done
by the Supreme Court."
"[Tjhere is nearly universal
agreement that legislation is needed
to reverse several restrictive
Supreme Court decisions."
F-24
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
McMillen
(H3954)
"We are in a position today to
reaffirm our commitment to equal
opportunity and restore the status
quo that existed before the six recent
Supreme Court decisions."
Skaggs
(H3956)
"America needs to regain the ground
lost in civil rights as a result of
recent Supreme Court decisions. . .
[W]e need to put the country back
on the track of progress from which
the High Court derailed us in 1989."
Bustamante
(H3957)
Recent Supreme Court rulings have
narrowed "the scope of legislation
designed to prevent work place
discrimination."
Delugo
(H3957)
The House has worked diligently "to
frame legislation to overturn 1989
Supreme Court decisions that
severely reduce remedies for civil
rights violations."
F-25
SENATE-OCTOBER 25. 1991
Kennedy "Members of this body have joined
(S15233) with administration representatives
to craft a civil rights bill that will
restore to all Americans the ability
to enforce their rights to equal
opportunity."
MEMBER OR REFERENCE TO § 101
OTHER SOURCE OF THE CRA AS
W/ PAGE CITE RESTORATIVE
SENATE-OCTOBER 28. 1991
Seymour
(S15285)
Metzenbaum
(S15287)
"[T]he bill restores section 1981—one
of the Nation’s oldest civil rights
laws—to its original intent by
a l l o w i n g v i c t i ms o f r a c e
discrimination in all facets of the
work environment to seek legal
remedies."
In its 1989 decisions, "the Court
retreated from long-standing rules
and principles, making it harder for
victims of discrimination to get into
court, harder for them to prove their
cases, and harder for them to obtain
meaningful relief if they won their
cases. . . [W]e are finally returning
this Nation to the pursuit of fairness
and equality of opportunity in the
workplace."
F-26
MEMBER OR REFERENCE TO § 101
OTHER SOURCE OF THE CRA AS
W/ PAGE CITE RESTORATIVE
SENATE-OCTOBER 29. 1991
Jeffords
(S15383)
"Every civil rights proposal made
over the past year and a half has
included a Patterson reversal as one
of its terms. . . [W]e will restore the
rights taken away in Patterson."
Breaux
(S15391)
The 1989 Supreme Court decisions
brought "the reversal of long
standing gains in civil rights."
Robb
(S15445)
SENATE-OCTOBER 30. 1991
"This act restores the civil rights
remedies which were taken away in
the late 1980’s by the new majority
on the Supreme Court."
Dodd
(S15465)
"I strongly believe that it is
imperative that we restore the full
force and effectiveness of our
Nation’s civil rights laws to millions
of minorities and women."
F-27
Gore
(S15482)
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
Danforth
(S15483)
Danforth
(S15500)
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
"During the 1988-89 term, the U.S.
Supreme Court handed down
decisions in a series of cases which
severely curtailed the rights of
minorities and women in the
workplace and made it harder for
them to fight discrimination. This
bill recognizes that those decisions
were flawed . . . and restores
protections against racial and ethnic
discrimination which were struck
down by these rulings."
The Patterson section of the bill
"reinstates the prohibition of
d i s c r i m i n a t i o n d u r i n g t h e
performance of the contract and
restores protection from racial and
ethnic discrimination to the millions
of individuals employed by firms
with fewer than 15 employees."
"What was wrong was that in the
year 1989 the Supreme Court chose
to turn the clock back, and that can
never happen in civil rights; it can
never be allowed to happen."
F-28
MEMBER OR
OTHER SOURCE
W/ PAGE CITE
REFERENCE TO § 101
OF THE CRA AS
RESTORATIVE
HOUSE-NOVEM BER 7. 1991
Edwards
(H9526)
The Patterson provision "reinstates
the prohibition of discrimination
during the performance of the
contract and restores protection for
racial and ethnic discrimination to
millions of individuals."
APPENDIX G
Court of Appeals Decisions Since
Bradley v. Richmond Sch. Bd. Applying Statutes Affecting
Remedies and Procedures To Pending Cases
1. United States v. Peppertree Apartments, 942
F.2d 1555, 1560-61 (11th Cir. 1991)
(explaining that "[statutory changes that are
remedial in nature apply retroactively....
The change in the statute ... does not
impose a new obligation upon [the
defendant]. Instead, it imposes an
additional remedy on already proscribed
conduct."), petition for cert, filed (Dec. 26,
1991).
2. In re Resolution Trust Corp., 888 F,2d 57, 58
(8th Cir. 1989) (endorsing presumption
favoring application to pending cases for
"new enactments changing procedural or
jurisdictional rules").
3. Delta Computer Corp. v. Samsung
Semiconductor, 879 F.2d 662, 663 (9th Cir.
1989) (applying statute to pending cases
when it is "addressed to remedies or
procedures and does not otherwise alter
substantive rights") (quoting Friel v. Cessna
Aircraft Co., 751 F.2d 1037, 1039 (9th Cir.
1985). 4
4. Nichols v. Stapleton, 877 F.2d 1401, 1403
(9th Cir. 1989) (applying to pending cases
new statutes that change remedies and
procedures, not substantive rights)
G-2
5. Kniso v. International Telephone and
Telegraph Corp., 872 F.2d 1416, 1425 (9th
Cir. 1989) (endorsing presumption in favor
of applying to pending claims "a statute ...
addressed to remedies or procedure").
6. DeGundes v. I.N.S., 833 F.2d 861, 863 (9th
Cir. 1987) (finding no manifest injustice
under Bradley when new law provides "a
grant or expansion of an access to a
remedy").
7. Yakima Valley Cablevision, Inc. v. F.C.C.,
794 F.2d 737, 748 (D.C. Cir. 1986)
(explaining that "this circuit views statutes
that change substantive rights as differing
from those — as in Bradley - that merely
change substantive remedies") (emphasis in
original).
8. Friel v. Cessna Aircraft Co., 751 F.2d 1037,
1039 (9th Cir. 1985) (endorsing presumption
in favor of applying law "addressed to
remedies or procedures").
9. United States v. Femandez-Toledo, 749 F.2d
703, 705 (11th Cir. 1985) (endorsing
presumption in favor of applying laws "that
affect only procedure or remedy").
10. United States v. Kairys, 782 F.2d 1374, 1381
(7th Cir.), cert, denied, 476 U.S. 1153 (1984)
(finding a statute remedial when it "relates
to the means and procedures for
enforcement of [existing] rights")
11. Shirey v. Devine, 670 F.2d 1188, 1197 (D .C
Cir. 1982) (applying new statute to pre-
G-3
existing claims where it "refined and
strengthened the remedies available to
enforce pre-existing rights.")
12. Eikenberry v. Callahan, 653 F.2d 632, 635-36
n.14 (D.C. Cir. 1981) (recognizing remedy-
right distinction in determining new law’s
applicability to pending cases).
13. Hastings v. Earth Satellite Corp., 628 F.2d 85,
93 (D.C. Cir. 1980) (explaining that
application to pending claims of new
enforcement mechanisms rarely involves any
risk of serious unfairness because it "harbors
much less potential for mischief than
retroactive changes in the principles of
liability.... Modification of remedy merely
adjusts the extent, or method of
enforcement, of liability in instances in
which the possibility of liability previously
was known")
14. Reeves v. International Tel and Tel. Corp.,
616 F.2d 1342, 1350 (5th Cir. 1980)
(endorsing presumption in favor of applying
to pre-existing claims new laws which "are
procedural and affect only remedies"), cert,
denied, 449 U.S. 1077 (1981).
15. Samuelson v. Susen, 576 F.2d 546., 551 (3rd
Cir. 1978) (endorsing presumption in favor
of applying "laws of a remedial or
procedural nature").
16. Cooper Stevedoring o f Louisiana, Inc. v.
Washington, 556 F.2d 268, 272 (5th Cir.),
reh’g denied, 560 F.2d 1023 (1977) (finding
new statute applicable that affected
G-4
procedural, not substantive rights).
17. United states v. Blue Sea Line, 553 F,2d 445,
448 (5th Cir. 1977) (concluding that a
statutory change that is "primarily
procedural" takes precedence over prior
law)
APPENDIX H
Court of Appeals Decisions Prior to Bradley v. Richmond
Sch. Bd. Recognizing a Distinction Between New Laws
Affecting Standards of Conduct or Vested Rights, Which
Were Presumed Inapplicable to Pending Cases, and
Methods for Enforcing Existing Rights, Which Were
Presumed Applicable 1 2 3 4
1. Roger v. Ball, 497 F.2d 702, 705 (4th Cir.
1974) (applying new remedial procedures to
federal employees’ race discrimination
claims because "[procedural statutes that
affect remedies" are generally applicable to
pending cases)
2. Federal Shopping Way, Inc. v. McQuaid, 457
F.2d 176, 180 (9th Cir. 1972) (concluding
that "where the statute relates to remedies
only and does not effect substantive rights,
we recognize an exception to the general
rule that amendments are prospective
only.")
3. United States v. Haughton, 413 F.2d 736, 738
(9th Cir. 1969) (concluding that change in
administrative procedure for conscientious
objector requests applied because "[sjtatutes
effecting procedural changes, which do not
otherwise alter substantive rights, generally
are considered immediately applicable to
pending cases.")
4. Turner v. United States 410 F.2d 837, 842
(5th Cir. 1969) (concluding that change in
administrative procedure for conscientious
objector request applied because "changes
H-2
in statute law relating only to procedure or
remedy are usually held immediately
applicable to pending cases, including those
on appeal from a lower court.")
5. Grummit v. Sturgeon Bay Winter Sports Club,
354 F.2d 564, 568 (7th Cir. 1966) (applying
a change in the notice of injury requirement
that allowed increased compensation for a
negligence claim because "its retroactive
effect violated no right of the defendant.")
6. United States v. Village Corp., 298 F.2d 816,
820 (4th Cir. 1962) (allowing government to
pursue claims against dissolved corporations
under a new statute because the statute
"altered no substantive right. It only altered
the procedure by which substantive rights
may be judicially enforced.").
7. Dargel v. Henderson, 200 F.2d 564, 566 n. 5
(Em. Ct.App. 1952) (applying new law
conferring jurisdiction for enforcing rent
regulations because "changes in procedural
or remedial law are generally to be regarded
as immediately applicable to existing causes
of action and not merely to those which
may accrue in the future unless a contrary
intent is expressed in the statute.")
8. Beatty v. United States, 191 F.2d 317, 320
(8th Cir. 1951) (applying new law that
allowed government to recover for
overcharges to a tenant because
presumption of prospective effect "does not
apply to statutes which effect merely
changes in remedies or modes of procedure
H-3
for enforcing existing liabilities.")
9. O n v. United States, 174 F.2d 577, 580 (2d
Cir. 1949) (removing bar to a libel claim by
applying new law to a pending case because
statute of limitations is only a procedural
change)
10. Bowles v. Strickland, 151 F.2d 419 (5th Cir.
1945) (applying in a pending case a change
in the statute of limitations that allowed the
government to recover for three times the
amount of a seller’s overcharge because it
"did not affect substantive rights, but related
only to the procedural machinery provided
to enforce such rights.")
11. Luckenbach S.S. Co. v. Norton, 106 F.2d
137, 138 (3d Cir. 1939) (finding that
application to a pending case of new law
that allowed for increased compensation for
injury was "remedial, affecting matters of
procedure")
12. New Amsterdam Casualty Co. v. Cardillo,
108 F.2d 492, 493 (D.C. Cir. 1939) (applying
to a pending case a new law that allowed
for increased compensation for injury
because it "neither creates new, nor destroys
old rights. It applies only to the remedy")
13. Federal Reserve Bank o f Richmond v. Kalin,
77 F.2d 50 (4th Cir. 1935) (finding that new
law conferring jurisdiction applied in a
pending case because "‘[statutes relating to
practices and procedure generally apply to
pending actions and those subsequently
instituted, although the cause of action may
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have arisen before.’" (quoting Link v.
Receivers o f Seabord Air Line Ry Co., 73
F.2d 149, 151 (4th Cir. 1934)).
14. Downs v. Blount, 170 F. 15, 21 (5th Cir.
1909) (holding that new law changing rules
of evidence applied to a pending case
because "[t]he prohibition against the
enactment of retroactive law in the Texas
Constitution . . . does not cut off remedial
laws nor curative statutes which do not
deprive one of vested rights.")
15. Larkin v. Saffarans, 15 F. at 149, 150
(Explaining that "one can have no vested
right to any particular remedy, or to sue or
be sued in any particular court," and thus
applying new law conferring jurisdiction
because it "takes away from these
defendants no right of action, or defense to
this action on its merits.")
APPENDIX I
United States Supreme Court Orders
Applying New Rules to Pending Cases Absent Injustice
1. Order Amending Federal Rules of Criminal
Procedure, 109 L. Ed. 2d xxxv (May 1,1990) (making
changes applicable to pending cases "insofar as just
and practicable") (Scalia J., joining).
2. Order Amending Federal Rules of Appellate
Procedure, 104 L. Ed. 2d lii (April 25, 1989) (making
changes applicable to pending cases "insofar as just
and practicable") (Scalia J., joining).
3. Order Amending Federal Rules of Criminal
Procedure, 104 L. Ed. 2d lvi (April 25, 1989) (making
changes applicable to pending cases "insofar as just
and practicable") (Scalia J., joining).
4. Order Changing Federal Rules of Criminal
Procedure, 94 L. Ed. 2d lxxviii (March 9, 1987)
(making changes applicable to pending cases "insofar
as just and practicable") (Scalia J., joining).
5. Order Changing Rules of Appellate Procedure, 89 L.
Ed. 2d xliii (March 10, 1986) (making changes
applicable to pending cases "insofar as just and
practicable").
6. Order Amending Bankruptcy Rules, 85 L. Ed. 2d
xxxix (April 29, 1985) (making changes applicable to
pending cases "insofar as just and practicable").
7. Order Amending Federal Rules of Criminal
Procedure, 85 L. Ed. 2d xliv (April 29, 1985) (making
changes applicable to pending cases "insofar as just
and practicable").
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8. Order Amending Bankruptcy Rules, 75 L. Ed. 2d xliii
(April 25, 1983) (making changes applicable to
pending cases unless doing so would "not be feasible
or would work injustice").
9. Order Amending Rules Governing Proceedings
Under 28 U.S.C.S. §§ 2254, 2255 in the United States
District Court, 72 L. Ed. 2d xlv (April 28, 1982)
(making changes applicable to pending cases "insofar
as just and practicable").
10. Order Amending Federal Rules of Criminal
Procedure, 72 L. Ed. 2d lix (April 28, 1982) (making
changes applicable to pending cases "insofar as just
and practicable").
11. Order Modifying Rules and Forms Governing
Proceedings Under 28 U.S.C.S. §§ 2254, 2255, 47 L.
Ed. 2d xliv (April 26, 1976) (making changes
applicable to pending cases unless doing so "would
not be feasible or would work injustice").
12. Order Modifying Bankruptcy Rules and Forms, 47 L.
Ed. 2d lxv (April 26, 1976) (making changes
applicable to pending cases unless doing so "would
not be feasible or would work injustice").
13. Order Amending Bankruptcy Rules and Forms, 44 L.
Ed. 2d xxxiii (April 28, 1975) (making changes
applicable to pending cases unless doing so "would
not be feasible or would work injustice").
14. Order Changing Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, 44
L. Ed. 2d lxi (April 28, 1975) (making changes
applicable to pending cases unless doing so "would
not be feasible or would work injustice").
15. Order Changing Bankruptcy Rules and Forms, 39 L.
1-3
Ed. 2d xxxvii (March 18, 1974) (making changes
applicable to pending proceedings unless doing so
"would not be feasible or would work injustice").
16. Order Changing Bankruptcy Rules and Official
Bankruptcy Forms, 36 L. Ed. 2d xxxvii (April 24,
1973) (making changes applicable to pending cases
unless doing so "would not be feasible or would work
injustice").
17. Order Changing Bankruptcy Rules and Official
Bankruptcy Forms, 37 L. Ed. 2d xxxi (April 24, 1973)
(making changes applicable to pending cases unless
doing so "would not be feasible or would work
injustice").
18. Order Establishing the Federal Rules of Evidence, 34
L. Ed. 2d Ixv (November 20, 1972) (making rules
applicable to pending proceedings unless doing so
"would not be feasible or would work injustice").
19. Order Amending Rules of Civil Procedure for the
United States District Courts 15 L. Ed. 2d lxxv
(February 28, 1966) (making changes applicable to
pending cases unless doing so "would not be feasible
or would work injustice").
20. Order Amending Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,
9 L. Ed. 2d liv, lxv, lxvii (March 18, 1963) (making
changes applicable to pending cases unless doing so
"would not be feasible or would work injustice").
21. Order Amending Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
and Forms, 6 L. Ed. 2d xxxvii, xxxviii - ix (Aprii 17,
1961) (making changes applicable to pending cases
unless doing so "would not be feasible or would work
injustice").
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22. Order Amending Rules of Practice in Admiralty and
Maritime Cases, 6 L. Ed. 2d xl, xlvii - viii (April 17,
1961) (making changes applicable to pending cases
unless doing so "would not be feasible or would work
injustice").
23. Order Amending Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,
91 L. Ed. 2113, 2124 (Dec. 27, 1946) (making
changes applicable to pending cases unless doing so
"would not be feasible or would work injustice").
24. Order Adopting Rules of Civil Procedure for the
District Courts of the United States, 82 L. Ed. 1563,
1608 (Dec. 20, 1937) (making rules applicable to
pending proceedings unless doing so "would not be
feasible or would work injustice").
APPENDIX J
Old Treatises Recognizing The Rule
in Favor of Application of New
Remedial, Procedural, and Restorative
Statutes to Pending Cases
1. H.C. Black, Handbook on the Construction and
Interpretation of the Laws (1911)
Defining "the General Rule" to incorporate certain
established exceptions:
Except in the case of remedial statutes and
those which relate to procedure in the courts,
it is a general rule that acts of the legislature
will not be so construed to make them
operate retrospectively....
Id. at 385 (emphasis added).
Defining "retrospective" as altering substantive or vested
rights:
A retrospective law is one which is made to
affect acts or transactions occurring before it
came into effect, or rights already accrued,
and which imparts to them effects which are
not inherent in their nature in the
contemplation of the law as it stood at the
time of their occurrence.
Id. at 380.
The statutes ... subjected to the strictness of
judicial construction — statutes which may be
properly be denominated ’retrospective’ — are
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such as take away or impair vested rights
acquired under existing laws, or create a new
obligation, impose a new duty, or attach a
new disability, in respect to transactions or
considerations already past.
Id. at 404.
Explaining that remedial statutes may be applied
retrospectively:
Remedial statutes are to be liberally
construed ; and if a re tro spective
interpretation will promote the ends of justice
and further the design of the legislature in
enacting them, or make them applicable to
cases which are within the reason and spirit of
the enactment, though not within its direct
words, they should receive such a
construction, provided it is not inconsistent
with the language employed.... In the class of
s ta tu te s which may be construed
retrospectively are those which create a new
remedy, or enlarge the existing remedy for
existing causes of action.
Id. at 404-410.
Explaining that it is also the norm to apply new procedures
to pre-existing claims:
Statutes regulating the procedure of the
courts will be construed as applicable to
causes of action accrued, and actions pending
and undetermined, at the time of their
passage, unless such actions are expressly
excepted, or unless vested rights would be
disturbed by giving them a retrospective
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operation.
Id. at 108.
2. C. Endlich, Commentary on the Interpretation of
Statutes (1888)
Defining narrowly the presumption against retroactivity:
Upon the presumption that the Legislature
does not intend what is unjust rests the
leaning against giving certain statutes a
retrospective operation.... It is chiefly where
the enactment would prejudicially affect
vested rights, or the legal character of past
transactions, that the rule in question prevails.
Id. at 362-67
Stating that the opposite rule of construction prevailed for
new legislation regarding the means of enforcing existing
rights:
[Tjhe presumption against a retroactive
construction has no application to enactments
which affect only the procedure and practice
of the Courts ..., even where the alteration
which the statutes make has been
disadvantageous to one of the parties.... The
remedy does not alter the contract or the tort;
it takes away no vested right for the defaulter
can have no vested right in a state of the law
which left the injured party without, or with
only a defective remedy.... The general
principle, indeed, seems to be that alterations
in the procedure are always retrospective,
unless there be some good reason against it.
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Id. at 386-7.
Citing as examples of statutes presumptively applicable to
pending claims:
laws changing the forum in which a claim is to be
determined, id. at 387;
provision of new remedies for existing rights, id. at
388;
provision for or limiting of costs, id. 388;
provision for or limiting of counsel fees, id. at 388,
390;
extending the period of limitations, id. at 390.
3. W.G. Myer, Vested Rights (1891)
Emphasizing that retroactivity "in a legal sense" did not
encompass many applications of new legislation to pre
existing claims:
The general rule is, that a statute will not be
construed as retroactive in its operation,
unless the intention that it shall so act
appears on its face.... It is to be understood,
of course, that the rule applies to such laws
only as are retrospective in a legal sense, and
not such as are simply curative or remedial....
Statutes which are remedial in their effect will
be given a retrospective operation, unless the
contrary intent appears.... The rule as to
remedial statutes is stated thus: Statutes are,
in the absence of directions to the contrary,
retrospective in their operation whenever they
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are remedial, as where they create new
remedies for existing rights....
Id. at 18.
4. H. Broom, Legal Maxims (8th ed. 1911)
No suitor ... has a vested interest in the
course of procedure, or a right to complain, if
during his litigation the procedure is changed,
provided that no injustice be done.
Alterations in the form of procedure are
always retrospective, unless there be some
good reason to the contrary; and so are
alterations in the law of evidence in matters
both civil and criminal.
Id. at 27.
5. 59 Corpus Juris §§ 696, 700, at. 1171-74 (1932)
Retroactive legislation changing rights is not
favored, and the rule that statutes are not to
be construed retrospectively unless such
construction was plainly intended by the
legislature applies with peculiar force.... A
difference is recognized between statutes
affecting substantial rights and those affecting
only procedure.... The general rule that
statutes will be construed to be prospective
only ... ordinarily does not apply to statutes
affecting remedy or procedure.... [I]n the
absence of directions to the contrary statutes
merely affecting the remedy or law of
procedure apply to actions thereafter, whether
the right of action accrued before or after the
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change in the law.
Id. See also 82 C.J.S. Statutes §§ 421-25, at. 976-1001.
6. 50 American Jurisprudence "Statutes" § 482, at 505-
06 (1944)
Emphasizing that the word "retrospective" had a special
"legal sense" related to vested rights and new duties:
A retrospective law, in a legal sense, is one
which takes away or impairs vested rights
acquired under existing laws, or creates a new
obligation and imposes a new duty, or
attaches a new disability in respect of
transactions or considerations already past.
Hence, remedial statutes or statutes relating
to remedies or modes of procedure, which do
not create new or take away vested rights, but
only operate in furtherance of the remedy or
confirmation of rights already existing, do not
come within the legal conception of a
retrospective law, or the general rule against
the retrospective operation of statutes. To
the contrary, statutes or amendments
pertaining to procedure are generally held to
operate retrospectively, where the statute or
amendment does not contain language clearly
showing a contrary intention. Indeed, in the
absence of any savings clause, a new law
changing a rule of practice is generally
regarded as applicable to all cases then
pending. A fortiori, a statute or amendment
which furnishes a new remedy, but does not
impair or affect any contracted obligations or
disturb vested rights, is applicable to
proceedings begun after its passage, though
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relating to acts done previously thereto.
73 Am. Jur. 2d "Statutes" § 354-55, at 489-91.
APPENDIX K
Colorado, Montana, New Hampshire, and Ohio Cases
Interpreting the Respective State Constitutional Provision
Prohibiting "Retroactive" Statutes
Colorado
Article 2, § 11 of the Colorado Constitution provides that,
"[n]o ex post facto law, nor law impairing the obligation of
contracts, or retrospective in its operation, or making any
irrevocable grant of special privileges, franchises or
immunities, shall be passed by the general assembly."
Continental Title Co. v. District Ct., Etc., 645 P.2d 1310, 1315
(1982) ("Application of a statute to a subsisting claim for
relief does not violate the prohibition of retroactive
legislation where the statute effects a change that is only
procedural and remedial in nature.")
People v. Board o f Trustees o f Firemen’s Pension Fund, 82
P.2d 765, 771 (1938) (retrospective act is defined as "one
which takes away or impairs vested rights acquired under
existing laws. . . .")
Moore v. Chalmers-G allow ay Live Stock Co., 10 P.2d 950, 952
(1932) ("the abolition of an old remedy or the substitution
of a new one" is not considered as "impairing a vested right
or imposing a new duty," and therefore does not constitute
a retrospective act)
Evans v. City o f Denver, 57 P. 696, 697 (1899) (a
retrospective statute is defined as one which "abrogates an
existing right of action or defense. . . .")
Perry v. City o f Denver, 59 P. 747, 748 (1899) (a retrospective
law is defined as one "which takes away or impairs vested
K-2
rights acquired under existing laws. . . .")
French v. Deane, 36 P. 609, 613 (1894) (defining "[a] statute
which takes away or impairs any vested right. . . . " as
"retrospective or retroactive.")
Montana
Article XIII, § 1(3) of the Montana Constitution provides
that, "[t]he legislature shall pass no law retrospective in its
operations which imposes on the people a new liability in
respect to transactions or considerations already passed."
Neel v. First Federal Sav, and Loan Assoc., 675 P. 2d 96, 101
(Mont. 1984) ("A retroactive law is one which ’[Tjakes away
or impairs vested rights acquired under existing laws or
creates a new obligation, imposes a new duty or attaches a
new disability in respect to transactions already past.5")
Castles v. State Ex Rel Mont. Dept, o f Highways, Mont., 609
F.2d 1223, 1225 (1980) ("Statutes that modify the procedure
for exercising a vested right or carrying out a duty do not
constitute retroactive legislation.")
Continental Oil Co. v. Montana Concrete Co., 207 P. 116, 118
(1922) (a retroactive law as proscribed by the constitution is
one which "takes away or impairs vested rights acquired
under existing laws. . . .")
New Hampshire
Part I, Article 23d of the New Hampshire Constitution states
that, "[retrospective laws are highly injurious, oppressive,
and unjust. No such laws, therefore, should be made, either
for the decision of civil cases, or the punishment of
offenses."
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Gould v. Concord Hospital, 126 N.H. 405, 408 (1985) (a
retrospective law as prohibited by the constitution, is one
which "impairs a vested legal right,")
Socha v. City o f Manchester, 126 N.H. 289, 291 (1985) ("To
be retrospective [as prohibited by the constitution] a statute
must impair a vested legal right.")
Gelinas v. Mackey, 123 N.H. 690, 695 (1983) ("A statute may
apply to cases commenced but not yet decided when it is
enacted, if it is remedial or procedural in nature.")
Lozier v. Brown Co., 121 N.H. 67, 70 (1981) ("Statutes that
apply to remedies do not come within this constitutional
prohibition [against retroactivity] and may be applied
retroactively.")
Smith v. Sampson, 114 N.H. 638, 641 (1974) ("As such
[remedial] statutes do not take away, impair, or affect those
[substantive] rights, they do not come within the prohibition
of N.H. Const. pt.I, art. 23 against retrospective laws.")
Simpson v. Savings Bank, 56 NH 466, 471 (1876) (a law
which retroacts upon a past transaction, but affects the
remedy only and does not affect it "injuriously, oppressively,
or unjustly," is not considered retroactive within the meaning
of the constitutional prohibition)
Rich v. Flanders, 39 N.H. 304, 322 (1859) ("[A]ny statute
which changes or affects the remedy, and does not destroy
or impair any vested right - which does not destroy any
existing right of action or of defence, or create any new
ground of action or of defence, is not a retrospective law in
the sense in which such laws are prohibited by the
constitution. . . ."
Willard v. Harvey, 24 N.H. 344, 353 (1852) ("[A] statute
which changes or modifies the remedy of a party for the
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recovery of his claim, which limits or restricts the process by
which it is to be enforced . . . is not within the prohibition
of the Constitution as a retrospective law. . . .")
Clark v. Clark, 10 N.H. 380, 386 (1839) (defining as
retrospective a law which "takjes] away or abrogates] a
perfect existing right, although no suit or legal proceeding
then exists.")
Ohio
Article II, § 28 of the Ohio Constitution provides in part
that, "[t]he general assembly shall have no power to pass
retroactive laws, or laws impairing the obligation of
contracts. . . . "
State Ex Rel. McGovern v. Board o f Elections, 263 N.E. 2d
586, 588 (1970) ("Retroactive laws have been defined as
those which take away a vested right, or impose a new
obligation or duty or disability with respect to transactions
already passed")
Lash v. Mann, 49 N.E. 2d 689, 692 (1943) ("It is a general
rule that there is no vested right in an existing remedy . . .
and that a Statute subsequently passed may alter, modify or
curtail such remedy provided a reasonable time is given for
the assertion of the remedy.")
Weil v. Taxicabs o f Cincinnati, 39 N.E. 2d 148 (1942) (the
Constitutional provision prohibiting the passage of
retroactive laws applies to laws disturbing substantive rights
as distinguished from laws merely changing the remedy for
the enforcement of those rights)
Columbian Building & Loan Co. v. Meddles, 35 N.E. 2d 902,
904 (1941) ("[parties to a contract] have no vested interest
. . . as to the forms of action or modes or remedy. The
Legislature may change these at its discretion, provided
K-5
adequate means for enforcing the right remains.")
State v. Zangerle, 14 N.E. 2d 932, 934 (1938) ("[E]very
Statute that is designed to act retrospectively is not
retroactive within the terms . . . of the constitution of 1851,
which forbids the general assembly of this state to pass
’retroactive’ laws. Whether a statute falls within the
prohibition of this provision of the constitution depends
upon the character of the relief that it provides. If it creates
a new right, rather than affords a new remedy to enforce an
existing right, it is prohibited by this clause of the
constitution of this state.")
City o f Cincinnati v. Bachmann, 199 N.E. 853, 854-55 (1935)
(holding that new remedies may be given for enforcing
existing rights without violating Constitutional and statutory
inhibitions on retroactivity)
Gray v. City o f Toledo, 89 N.E.D 12, 13 (1909) (adopted
Justice Story’s definition of a retrospective law, which
provides that, "every statute which takes away or impairs
vested rights, acquired under existing laws, or creates a new
obligation, imposes a new duty, or attaches a new disability,
in respect to transactions or considerations already past,
must be deemed retrospective."
Miller v. Hixson, 59 N.E. 749, 752 (1901) (a statute which
imposes a new or additional burden, duty, obligation, or
liability as to past transactions is retroactive and void under
the State Constitution)
Rairden and Burnett v. Holden, 15 Ohio St. 207, 210 (1864)
(adopting Justice Story’s definition of a retrospective law,
which provides, "[u]pon principle, every statute which takes
away or impairs vested rights, acquired under existing laws,
or creates a new obligation, imposes a new duty, or attaches
a new disability, in respect to transactions or considerations
already past, must be deemed retrospective."
APPENDIX L
Other State Cases Interpreting Prohibitions on
"Retroactive" Statutes
Alabama
Harlan v. State, 18 So. 2d 744, 747 (1944) ("The general rule
prevails that unless expressly prohibited or unless some
contractual rights are intervened, a statute which is remedial
or procedural by its terms and provisions applies whether
the cause of action accrued or had its inception before or
after the effective date of the act.")
California
Davis & McMillan v. Industrial Accident Comm’n, 246 P.
1046, 1048 (1926) ("’Retrospective statutes are usually
considered to embrace only those which relate to substantial
rights, as those which destroy or impair an existing right, or
give a right which never before existed; and statutes which
affect remedies only are not within the scope of the
inhibition against retrospective laws, unless the remedy is
entirely taken away, or is encumbered with conditions which
render it impracticable.’")
Illinois
Fireside Chrysler-Plymouth v. Chrysler, 472 N.E. 2d 861, 866
(Ill.App.Ct. 1984) (establishing that a "retroactive law" is
"one that impairs vested rights," the Court went on to define
a "vested right" as "more than a mere expectation based
upon an anticipated continuance of existing law; it must have
become a fixed right, complete and consummated."
Michigan
Stott v. Stott Realty Co., 284 N.W. 635, 640 (1939) ("The
L-2
constitutional prohibition of the passage of retroactive laws,
Const, art. 239, refers only to retroactive laws that
injuriously affect some substantial or vested right, and ’does
not refer to those remedies adopted by a legislative body for
the purpose of providing a rule to secure for its citizens the
enjoyment of some natural right, equitable and just in itself,
but which they were not able to enforce an account of
defects in the law or its omission to provide the relief
necessary to secure such right.’")
Missouri
Swedge v. Kansas City, St. L & C.R. Co., 53 S.W.2d 284, 288
(1932) (legislation going to the remedy "is not a
retrospective law within the meaning of that term as used in
the Constitution.")
North Carolina
B-CRemedy Co. v. Unemployment Compensation Comm’n, 36
S.E. 2d 733, 737 (1946) (remedial statutes may be applied
retroactively "in the absence of directions to the contrary
when they create new remedies for existing rights, remove
penalties or forfeitures, extenuate or mitigate offenses . . .
unless in doing this we violate some contract obligation or
divest some vested right.")
Oklahoma
In re Ross, 207 P,2d 254, 256 (1949) ("[A] retrospective or
retroactive law is one which takes away or impairs vested or
accrued rights under existing laws.")
Tennessee
Baker v. Rose, 56 S.W.2d 732, 734 (1933) ("A retrospective
law within [the] constitutional inhibition, is one which
infringes or divests vested rights.")
Texas
McCain v. Yost, 284 S.W.2d 898, 900 (1955) ("A statute
cannot be said to be a retroactive law prohibited by the
constitution unless it can be shown that the application of
the law would take away or impair vested rights acquired
under existing law.")
De Cordova v. City o f Galveston, 4 Tex 470, 479-80 (1849)
("Laws are deemed retrospective and within the
constitutional prohibition which by retrospective operation
destroy of impair vested rights . . . but laws which affect the
remedy merely are not within the scope of the inhibition
unless the remedy be taken away altogether or incumbered
with conditions that would render it useless or impracticable
to pursue it.")
APPENDIX M
Prior View of Roadway Counsel
Glen D. Nager Expressed in Legislative History of Civil
Rights Act of 1991
Counsel for Roadway, Glen D. Nager, together with
Laurie W. Finneran, both of Jones Day, Reavis & Pogue,
wrote:
The Supreme Court has espoused the
principle that "a court is to apply the law in
effect at the time it renders its decision
unless doing so would result in manifest
injustice." Bradley v. Richmond School
Board, 416 U.S. 696, 711 (1974). Courts
generally will not find "manifest injustice"
where "there [is] no change in the
substantive obligation of the parties." Id. at
721; see also Hallowed v. Commons, 239
U.S. 506, 508 (1916). Therefore, as a
matter of statutory construction, courts
distinguish between statutes that affect only
procedures and remedies, which
presumptively apply to the pending
litigation, and statutes that affect
substantive rights, which did not enjoy a
presumption of retroactivity.
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"The purpose behind this rule of construction is
clear. [Although] [n]on-retrospective application of
statute prevents the assigning of a quality or effect
to acts or conduct which they did not have or did
not contemplate when they were performed, [t]his
danger is not present where statutes merely affect
remedies or procedures." Friel v. Cessna Aircraft Co.,
751 F.2d 1037, 1039 (9th Cir. 1985).
137 Cong. Rec. S 15959 (daily ed. Nov. 5, 1991)
(Emphasis added).
APPENDIX N
Court of Appeals Decisions Applying New Statutes
Providing Additional Remedies for Conduct Already Illegal
Under Other Law
Decisions Applying in Pending Cases the Provision in the
1972 Civil Rights Act Authorizing Damages Against the
Government
1. Koger v. Ball, 497 F.2d 702, 705 - 07 (4th Cir. 1974)
(explaining that "the 1972 Act did not create a new
substantive right for federal employees" but rather
provided them with a new remedy for their already
existing right to be free from racial discrimination in
employment which dated back at least to a 1969
Executive Order.)
2. Womack v. Lynn, 504 F.2d 267, 269 & n.5 (D.C. Cir.
1974) (applying new provision because it "is merely
a procedural statute that affects the remedies
available to federal employees suffering from
employment discrimination." Relying on executive
orders dating back to 1948, the court concluded that
"[tjheir right to be free of such discrimination has
been assured for years.") (Emphasis in original).
3. Thompson v. Sawyer, 678 F.2d 257, 287 - 88 (D.C.
Cir. 1982) (explaining that the 1972 Amendments to
Title VII were for federal workers "a new means to
enforce their preexisting right to be free from
discrimination" that dated back at least to a 1969
Executive Order.)
N-2
4. Sperling v. United States, 515 F.2d 465, 471 n.14, 473
- 74 (3d Cir.), cert, denied, 426 U.S. 919 (1975)
(applying new provision as a new remedy for a right
dating back to executive orders since 1948, and
describing it as "a classic example of a procedural or
remedial statute applicable to cases pending at the
time of enactment").
5. Adams v. Brinegar, 521 F.2d 129, 131 - 32 (7th Cir.
1975) (explaining that based on the Fifth
Amendment and executive orders dating back to
1948 the "right of federal employees to seek relief
from racial discrimination by the federal government
was thus available some years before . . . 1972.
Section 717(c) simply provided one more step in the
existing review process.")
7. Mahroom v. Hook, 563 F.2d 1369, 1373 (9th Cir.
1977) (relying on reasoning in Koger and Womack in
applying 1972 Amendments to pending cases), cert,
denied, 436 U.S. 904 (1978)
8. Eastland v. Tennessee Valley Authority, 553 F.2d 364,
367 n.5 (5th Cir. 1977) (applying 1972 amendments
to pending cases)
9. Huntley v. Department o f Health, Education and
Welfare, 550 F.2d 290, 295 (5th Cir.), cert, denied,
434 U.S. 985 (1977) (same)
10. Allen v. United States, 542 F.2d 176, 177 n.2 (3rd
Cir. 1976) (same)
11. Weahkee v. Powell, 532 F.2d 727, 729 (10th Cir.
1976) (endorsing reasoning in Koger and Womack)
N-3
12. Ettinger v. Johnson, 518 F.2d 648, 651 n.71 (3rd Cir.
1975) (relying on Sperling, Koger and Womack)
13. Brown v. General Services Administration, 507 F,2d
1300, 1305-06 (2d Cir. 1974), aff’d 425 U.S. 820
(1976) (endorsing reasoning of Womack and Koger)
Decisions Applying in Pending Cases the 1974
Amendments to Age Discrimination in Employment Act
1. Bunch v. United States, 548 F.2d 336, 339 (9th Cir.
1977) (concluding that "[t]he age discrimination
policy, like the anti-discrimination policy of Title
VII, was seriously hampered by the lack of any
effective enforcement machinery prior to the
amendments in issue. The ADEA amendments, like
the 1972 Title VII amendments, did not create new
substantive rights, but simply created new
procedures and remedies" for vindicating pre
existing rights granted in earlier executive orders)
(citations omitted).
Decisions Applying in Pending Cases the 1974 and 1977
Amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act
1. Bush v. State Industries, Inc., 599 F.2d 780, 786 (6th
Cir. 1979) (finding the 1977 amendment applicable
because "[a]n employee’s right to be free from
discharge or other employment discrimination for
attempting to have enforced the provisions of the
FLSA has been protected for years. The
amendment. . . did not create new substantive
rights, but simply affected the remedies available to
employees for vindication their pre-existing rights.")
APPENDIX O
Decisions Citing to Legislative History in Which Members
of Congress Expressed Their Reliance on Bradley v.
Richmond Sch. Bd.
1. United States v. Marengo County Comm’n,
731 F.2d 1546, 1554 (11th Cir. 1984) (Sen.
Kennedy, Rep. Sensenbrenner)
2. People o f State o f Illinois v. I.C.C., 698 F.2d
868, 872 (7th Cir. 1983) (Conference Report)
3. Gautreaux v. Chicago Housing Authority, 690
F.2d 601, 603-04 (7th Cir. 1982) (House
Report)
4. Alphin v. Henson, 552 F.2d 1033, 1035 n.3
(4th Cir. 1977) (Sens. Hart and Abourezk)
5. Finney v. Hutto, 548 F.2d 740, 742 n.5 (8th
Cir. 1977) (Rep. Drinan), aff’d, 437 U.S. 678
(1978)
6. Rainey v. Jackson State College, 551 F.2d 672,
676 n. 5 (5th Cir. 1977) (Sen. Abourezk,
House Report)
7. Stanford Daily v. Zurcher, 550 F.2d 464, 466
(9th Cir. 1977) (House Report)
8. Wharton v. Knefel, 562 F.2d 550, 557 n.33
(8th Cir. 1977) (Sen. Kennedy, House
Report)