Action Item: The Supreme Court's ruling in favor of gay marriage will have profound implications for individuals and employers across the country.

Blank Rome Partners Joan N. Stern and Dacia A. Haddad co-authored a chapter titled "Public Finance Law—Building America" in the book Lawyers as Economic Drivers: The Business Case for Legal Services.

On April 16, 2013, Nancy Sutley, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, and John Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Co-Chairs of the President's National Ocean Council, released the Administration's action plan for implementing the National Ocean Policy established under E.O. 13547

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued guidance highlighting how Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may apply to situations involving applicants and employees who experience domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has recently released updated guidance on protections against disability discrimination for employees and job applicants with cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities.

In "EEOC v. United Parcel Service Inc." the EEOC has taken the position that an employer’s policy to automatically terminate employees who are unable to return to work after 12 months of disability leave violates the ADA.

The National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") recently issued its first decision addressing the legality of a termination for an employee's Facebook postings.

The National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") recently released memoranda analyzing at-will employment clauses in two employee handbooks that the NLRB concluded do not violate the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA").

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has recently issued a directive to the federal contractors and subcontractors on their use of criminal records in the hiring process.

The United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") recently issued a memorandum identifying several types of employer safety policies that may violate the Occupational Safety and Health Act and other whistleblower protection laws.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration published an interim final rule on February 27, 2013 in the Federal Register governing whistleblower complaints under the Affordable Care Act. Section 1558 of the Act prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who report alleged violations of insurance company accountability policies or participate in a proceeding concerning a violation

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently clarified the legal standard for claims of non-employee workplace harassment, adopting and applying non-binding liability guidelines promulgated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently held that an employment agreement provision that shortened the statutes of limitations for employee claims brought under the FLSA and the Equal Pay Act from three years to six months was an impermissible waiver of claims under both statutes.

The Sixth Circuit recently affirmed a district court ruling rejecting a challenge by the EEOC to employers’ use of credit checks in the hiring process.

On November 26, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Vance v. Ball State University, a case that may resolve a split between the federal appellate courts regarding the definition of a "supervisor" for purposes of employer liability under Title VII.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently held that retaliation under Title VII must be proven according to traditional principles of but-for causation.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently held that that an employee is entitled to whistleblower protection under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently held that the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") does not bar class action waivers.

Philip Rosenfeldt's article on "Co-Tenancy Issues in Turbulent Times" was republished in Shopping Center Landlord & Tenant Legal Issues.

The budget bill proposed by Governor Cuomo includes changes in the taxation of the estates of New York residents. Although New York does not impose a gift tax, the bill provides, notably, that in calculating the estate tax on the estate of a New York domiciliary, any taxable gifts (as defined for federal tax purposes) made on or after April 1, 2014 will be included in the decedent's estate as though the gifted property were an estate asset.