Expert Analysis

• 6 Laws For Calif. Employers To Know In 2026

  

  California's legislative changes for 2026 impose sweeping new obligations on employers, including by expanding pay data reporting, clarifying protections related to bias mitigation training and broadening record access rights, but employers can avoid heightened exposure by proactively evaluating their compliance, modernizing internal systems and updating policies, says Alexa Foley at Gordon Rees.

• Where DEI Stands After The Federal Crackdown In 2025

  

  The federal government's actions this year have marked a fundamental shift in the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws, indicating that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that perpetuate allegedly unlawful discrimination will face vigorous scrutiny in 2026, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

• Handbook Hot Topics: An Employer-Friendly Shift At NLRB

  

  As the National Labor Relations Board is expected to shift toward issuing more employer-friendly decisions, employers should still monitor NLRB trends concerning handbook policies before making substantial changes to protocol and continue to align policies with employees' rights under the National Labor Relations Act, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

• Mulling Differing Circuit Rulings On Gender-Affirming Care

  

  Despite the Eleventh Circuit's recent holding in Lange v. Houston County that a health plan's exclusion for gender-affirming surgery did not violate Title VII, employers should be mindful of other court decisions suggesting that different legal challenges may still apply to blanket exclusions for such care, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

• Unique Aspects Of Texas' Approach To AI Regulation

  

  The Texas Responsible AI Governance Act — which will soon be the sole comprehensive artificial intelligence law in the U.S. — pulls threads from EU and Colorado laws but introduces more targeted rules with fewer obligations on commercial entities, say attorneys at MVA Law.

• Recent Rulings Show When PIPs Lead To Employer Liability

  

  Performance improvement plans may have earned their reputation as the last stop before termination, and while a PIP may be worth considering if its goals can be achieved within a reasonable time frame, several recent decisions underscore circumstances in which they may aggravate employer liability, says Noah Bunzl at Tarter Krinsky.

• Legal Guardrails For AI Tools In The Hiring Process

  

  Although artificial intelligence can help close the gaps that bad actors exploit in modern recruiting, its precision also makes it subject to tighter scrutiny, meaning new regulatory regimes should be top of mind for U.S.-centric employers exploring fraud-focused AI-enabled tools, say attorneys at Ogletree.

• Employer Considerations After 11th Circ. Gender Care Ruling

  

  The Eleventh Circuit's en banc decision in Lange v. Houston County, Georgia, finding that a health plan did not violate Title VII by excluding coverage for gender-affirming care, shows that plans must be increasingly cognizant of federal and state liability as states pass varying mandates, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

• Viral 'Brewers Karen' Incident Teaches Employers To Act Fast

  

  An attorney who was terminated after a viral video showed her threatening to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on an opposing team's fan at a Milwaukee Brewers game underscores why employers must take prompt action when learning of viral incidents involving employees, says Joseph Myers at Mesidor.

• Strategic Use Of Motions In Limine In Employment Cases

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  Because motions in limine can shape the course of employment litigation and ensure that juries decide cases on admissible, relevant evidence, understanding their strategic use is essential to effective advocacy and case management at trial, says Sara Lewenstein at Nilan Johnson.

• How Employers Should Reshape AI Use As Laws Evolve

  

  As laws and regulations on the use of artificial intelligence in employment evolve, organizations can maximize the innovative benefits of workplace AI tools and mitigate their risks by following a few key strategies, including designing tools for auditability and piloting them in states with flexible rules, say attorneys at Cooley.

• Workday Case Shows Auditing AI Hiring Tools Is Crucial

  

  Following a California federal court's recent decisions in Mobley v. Workday signaling that both employers and vendors could be held liable for discriminatory outcomes from artificial intelligence hiring tools, companies should consider two rigorous auditing methods to detect and mitigate bias, says Hossein Borhani at Charles River Associates.

• Pa. Court Reaffirms Deference To Workers' Comp Judges

  

  In Prospect Medical Holdings v. Son, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania reaffirmed that it will defer to workers' compensation judges on witness credibility, reminding employers that a successful challenge of a judge's determination must show that the determination was not supported by any evidence, says Keld Wenge at Pond Lehocky.