The Supreme Court’s 2022 Affirmative Action Cases and its Impact on Employers



In this podcast, we discuss the cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, involving affirmative action or race-conscious admissions in higher education. Lauren Hicks of Ogletree Deakins’ Affirmative Action and OFCCP Compliance Practice Group and Jim Plunkett, Washington D.C. shareholder and author of our weekly Beltway Buzz newsletter, summarize the recent oral arguments and the implications the decisions might have on employers. Lauren and Jim discuss the federal contractor affirmative action obligations under Executive Order 11246 and how those obligations contrast with affirmative action in the educational context. The podcast concludes with discussion of how the decisions in the college admissions cases might impact employment practices in diversity and inclusion or federal contractor OFCCP compliance.