Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
Name	Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
Court	Supreme Court of the United States
Date	May 29, 2007
Citation	550 U.S. 618
Prior	On writ of certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Holding	The Supreme Court of the United States held that a Title VII complaint must be filed within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory act, which in this case was the initial decision to pay Lilly Ledbetter a lower salary than her male colleagues at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

Contents

Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that involved Lilly Ledbetter, a former employee of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, who alleged that she was paid less than her male colleagues at the company's Gadsden, Alabama plant, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The case was closely watched by American Civil Liberties Union, National Organization for Women, and other women's rights organizations, including the National Women's Law Center and the American Association of University Women. Ledbetter's case was also supported by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and other prominent Democratic politicians, as well as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Supreme Court of the United States justice who has been a long-time advocate for women's rights and has written opinions in cases such as United States v. Virginia and Shalala v. Schaefer.

Background

The case of Lilly Ledbetter began in 1979, when she started working at the Gadsden, Alabama plant of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, a company that was founded by Frank Seiberling and has been a major player in the tire industry for over a century. During her 19-year tenure at the company, Ledbetter alleged that she was paid less than her male colleagues, despite having similar qualifications and experience, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a law that was signed by Lyndon B. Johnson and has been enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Ledbetter's case was also influenced by other landmark Supreme Court of the United States cases, including Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, and Grutter v. Bollinger, which have shaped the country's understanding of civil rights and equal protection under the law. The American Bar Association, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and other organizations have also played a crucial role in shaping the country's understanding of civil rights and equal protection under the law, and have filed amicus curiae briefs in cases such as Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

Ledbetter filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 1998, alleging that she was paid less than her male colleagues at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The case was later tried in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, where the jury found in favor of Ledbetter and awarded her back pay and damages. The case was then appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which reversed the district court's decision, holding that Ledbetter's complaint was time-barred under Title VII. The case was then appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, which granted certiorari and heard oral arguments in the case, with Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer asking tough questions of the lawyers for both sides, including Theodore Olson and Irving Gomez. The Supreme Court of the United States has a long history of hearing cases related to civil rights and equal protection under the law, including Plessy v. Ferguson, Lochner v. New York, and Lawrence v. Texas, and has been shaped by the opinions of justices such as Earl Warren, William Rehnquist, and Sandra Day O'Connor.

The Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in the case on May 29, 2007, holding that a Title VII complaint must be filed within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory act, which in this case was the initial decision to pay Lilly Ledbetter a lower salary than her male colleagues at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The court's decision was written by Justice Samuel Alito and was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, and Clarence Thomas. The decision was a major setback for Lilly Ledbetter and other women who have faced pay discrimination in the workplace, and was criticized by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and other prominent Democratic politicians, as well as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who wrote a dissenting opinion in the case, joined by justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, and Stephen Breyer. The decision was also criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Organization for Women, and other women's rights organizations, including the National Women's Law Center and the American Association of University Women.

In response to the Supreme Court of the United States decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Congress passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was signed into law by Barack Obama on January 29, 2009. The law amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to allow employees to file complaints of pay discrimination within 180 days of the most recent discriminatory act, rather than within 180 days of the initial discriminatory act. The law was supported by Democratic politicians, including Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, as well as women's rights organizations, including the National Organization for Women and the American Association of University Women. The law has been seen as a major victory for women's rights and has been hailed by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and other Supreme Court of the United States justices as an important step towards achieving equal pay for equal work.

The case of Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company has had a significant impact on the women's rights movement and has been seen as a major setback for women who have faced pay discrimination in the workplace. The case has also highlighted the importance of Congress taking action to address issues of pay discrimination and equal pay for equal work, and has led to the passage of laws such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The case has been widely discussed in the media, including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN, and has been the subject of numerous academic studies and law review articles, including those published in the Harvard Law Review and the Yale Law Journal. The case has also been cited in other Supreme Court of the United States cases, including Ricci v. DeStefano and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, and has been influential in shaping the country's understanding of civil rights and equal protection under the law. The American Bar Association, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and other organizations have also played a crucial role in shaping the country's understanding of civil rights and equal protection under the law, and have filed amicus curiae briefs in cases such as Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.