Case: Griggs V. Duke Power

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Pages: 2

The United States Supreme Court heard the Griggs v. Duke Power Co in December 1970. This particular case involved employment discrimination and the disparate impact theory. The court decided the case in March of 1971.

Preceding the passage of the Civil Rights Act, Duke had a policy of segregating employees based on their race. Historically, African-Americans were only allowed to work as laborers at the Dan River Plant in Draper North Carolina. Laborers were the lowest-paying positions at the facility. After the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, Duke updated the policy pertaining to the case by mandating that most employees have either a high school diploma or a minimum IQ for all positions other than laborers. Duke Power never