Employment Rulings in the Fourth Circuit
The Fourth Circuit covers the federal courts in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The rulings below come from the circuit's court of appeals and the federal trial courts within it.
Of the 1,919 published rulings we track here (1973–2026), the breakdowns below show how they were decided. They describe published opinions only — not the odds of any particular situation.
How These Rulings Ended
Of the 1,919 published rulings we track in the Fourth Circuit.
What Happens at Each Stage
A workplace lawsuit moves through stages, and a ruling can end it at any of them. Here is where the 1,893 rulings we could classify by stage were decided.
A higher court reviewing an earlier decision. Many published opinions come from this stage, after a lot has already happened in the case.
A ruling where the judge decides the case — or part of it — without a trial, because one side argues the key facts are not in dispute. For workers, getting past this step is often the biggest hurdle.
Of the 305 summary-judgment rulings here, 200 ended the case in the employer’s favor and 105 let the worker’s claims continue.
An early request — usually by the employer — to throw the case out before any evidence is gathered.
A judge or jury heard the evidence and reached a decision. Relatively few disputes get this far.
The two sides resolved the dispute by agreement, sometimes with court approval. Most settlements are private and never show up in published opinions.
A decision entered because one side did not respond to the case at all.
Procedural decisions and orders that do not fit the main stages above.
Top Claim Types
Top Employers
States in This Circuit
Browse rulings from courts in each state the Fourth Circuit covers.
Recent Rulings in the Fourth Circuit
Adams
Dorsey Trailers, Incorporated v. National Labor Relations Board
NLRB v. Dorsey Trailers Inc
International Union, United Mine Workers v. Marrowbone Development Co.
Garrett
Adams
Radau
Circuit City Stores v. EEOC
In Re Adams
USF Red Star, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board
Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, United States Department of Labor v. Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company Samuel Dillard
Beaumont
Admiralty Coatings Corporation v. William B. Emery Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, United States Department of Labor
Peter Ball v. Memphis Bar-B-Q Company, Incorporated, Secretary of Labor, Amicus Curiae
Adams
Capitol Cement Corp v. Secretary of Labor
Yuasa, Inc. v. International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, MacHine & Furniture Workers, Local 175
Local Union No. 666, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Afl-Cio v. Stokes Electrical Service, Incorporated
Spicer
Spitzer
EEOC v. Browning-Ferris Inc
Eastern Associated Coal Corporation v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, United States Department of Labor Pearl D. Scarbro
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Stowe-Pharr Mills, Incorporated, D/B/A Pharr Yarns
EEOC v. Stowe-Pharr Mills
NLRB v. Queensboro Steel
Weeks
Cpc International, Incorporated v. Skippy Incorporated Joan Crosby Tibbetts, American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, Incorporated, Amicus Curiae
Alexis M. Herman, Secretary of Labor, United States Department of Labor v. Local 305, National Post Office Mail Handlers, Liuna, Afl-Cio
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina Sacred Heart Cathedral
EEOC v. Roman Catholic Dio
EFCO Corporation v. NLRB
Elizabethtown Gas Co. v. National Labor Relations Board
Island Creek Coal Company v. Dennis E. Compton Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, United States Department of Labor
National Union Fire Insurance v. Rite Aid of South Carolina, Inc.
Natl Union Fire Ins v. CSX Corporation
Adams
Canaday
NLRB v. Hartley Oil Co Inc
Adams
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Federal Express Corp.
United States Postal Service v. American Postal Workers Union, Afl-Cio
Adams
Franklin
Flexsys America, L.P. v. Local Union No. 12610
United Mine Workers Of America, International Union v. Martinka Coal Company
Dillard's
American Crane Corp v. NLRB
Smith v. First Union National
Stonehenge
Hicks Ex Rel. Hicks v. HALIFAX COUNTY BD. EDUC.
Showing 1,751–1,800 of 1,919 rulings · Page 36 of 39
Browse Other Circuits
Explore employment rulings from the other federal circuits.
These figures summarize publicly available published court opinions only. Published opinions over-represent summary-judgment rulings (decisions made without a trial) and appeals, because those are the stages where judges most often write formal opinions. Most workplace disputes settle privately and never appear here at all. A ruling’s outcome reflects many case-specific factors and is not a prediction for any other situation. Read more about how we source and classify rulings.
Data sourced from public federal court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes extracted using AI analysis. This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The classification of outcomes and case stages is based on automated analysis and may not reflect the full scope of each case.