General Electric Co. v. Gilbert
| General Electric Company v. Gilbert | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued January 19–20, 1976 Reargued October 13, 1976 Decided December 7, 1976 | |
| Full case name | General Electric Company v. Martha V. Gilbert, et al. |
| Citations | 429 U.S. 125 (more) |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Relief granted, 375 F.Supp. 367, (E.D.V.A. 1974); decision affirmed, 519 F.2d 661 (4th Cir. 1975); cert granted, 423 U.S. 822 (1975). |
| Holding | |
| Petitioners' disability benefits plan does not violate Title VII because of its failure to cover pregnancy-related disabilities. United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Rehnquist, joined by Burger, Powell, Stewart, White; Blackmun (in part) |
| Concurrence | Stewart |
| Concurrence | Blackmun (in part) |
| Dissent | Brennan, joined by Marshall |
| Dissent | Stevens |
| Laws applied | |
| Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 | |
Superseded by | |
| Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 | |
General Electric Co. v. Gilbert, 429 U.S. 125 (1976), is a 1976 United States Supreme Court case concerning pregnancy discrimination and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In a 6–3 decision, the Court held that an employer excluding pregnancy-related disabilities from coverage under their disability benefits plan did not violate Title VII. The Court's majority opinion applied its conclusion in the then-recent case of Geduldig v. Aiello,[1] which had been focused on the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, to the Civil Rights Act. The decision in Gilbert generated considerable backlash and prompted Congress to overturn it by passing the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978.[2][3] The Supreme Court itself later acknowledged that this Act had overturned its holding in Gilbert, namely, that pregnancy discrimination was not unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ Geduldig v. Aiello, 417 U.S. 484 (1974)
- ^ Grossman, Joanna (2016-01-01). "Expanding the Core: Pregnancy Discrimination Law as It Approaches Full Term". Idaho Law Review. 52: 825.
- ^ Liss, Shannon E. (1997). "The Constitutionality of Pregnancy Discrimination: The Lingering Effects of Geduldig and Suggestions for Forcing its Reversal". N.Y.U. Review of Law & Social Change. 23 (1): 59.
- ^ Newport News Shipbuilding Co. v. EEOC, 462 U.S. 669 (1983)
External links[edit]
- Text of General Electric Co. v. Gilbert, 429 U.S. 125 (1976) is available from: CourtListener Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)
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