Pittman v. Oregon, Employment Department

**Pittman v. Oregon Employment Department: Court Rules Workers Cannot Sue States Under Federal Anti-Discrimination Law** **What Happened** Pittman, a worker, filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Oregon Employment Department using Section 1981, a federal civil rights law that prohibits racial discrimination in employment contracts. Pittman claimed the state agency discriminated against him based on his race. **What the Court Decided** The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Pittman and dismissed his case. The court determined that while Section 1981 allows workers to sue private employers for racial discrimination, it does not allow workers to sue state government employers. Even though Congress updated the law in 1991 to strengthen worker protections, the court found these changes still don't permit lawsuits against state governments under this particular law. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling significantly limits options for state government employees facing racial discrimination. Workers employed by state agencies cannot use Section 1981 to fight discrimination in federal court, unlike workers in the private sector. State employees must rely on other legal remedies, such as state anti-discrimination laws or different federal statutes, which may offer different protections or procedures. This creates unequal treatment between private and public sector workers seeking justice for racial discrimination.