Catherwood LibraryILR School

In an unsigned unanimous decision yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed as improvidently granted, a case brought by approximately 120 former employees of the Florida Power Corporation under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act ( see WIT for March 21, 2002). The workers were seeking to extend the approval given by the Supreme Court to "disparate impact" claims brought under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, to cases brought under the 1967 ADEA. ILR professor Michael Gold pointed out that, in light of ideological leanings indicated by recent rulings by the Supreme Court on labor issues, the dismissal of the case may be in the best interests of older workers in general---leading him to believe that pro-labor, pro-worker justices made an effort to have the case dismissed rather than see a ruling adverse to worker interests.