Insights

On March 26, 2026, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) titled Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors. The EO declares diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) “activities” “unethical and often illegal,” and imposes new obligations on federal contractors and subcontractors related to DEI programming. Contractors that do business with the federal government — or that work as subcontractors for companies that do — should review the EO closely to determine the extent to which they are compliant with the new requirements.

The New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA) entitles eligible employees to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per 24-month period for bonding with a new child, caring for a seriously ill family member, or responding to certain public health emergencies. The law covers employers with 30 or more employees worldwide, and employees must have at least one year on the job and 1,000 hours worked in the preceding 12 months to qualify. Unlike the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the NJFLA does not cover an employee’s own serious health condition, but instead pairs with New Jersey’s Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) and Family Leave Insurance (FLI) programs, which provide partial wage replacement — funded through employee payroll contributions — when employees are out on qualifying leave. 

On September 30, 2024, Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed a putative class action in Mejia v. High Brew Coffee Inc., 1:22-cv-03667-LTS (S.D.N.Y. Sep. 30, 2024), holding that an online-only business’s website is not a place of public accommodation under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Chief Judge Swain’s opinion is the first of its kind for the Southern District and is the latest installment in an ongoing judicial debate about the reach of the ADA’s regulatory reach.  

Crowell's Rebecca Springer and Corey Hirsch-Lestienne discuss recent developments regarding an employer’s obligation to accommodate employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs and practices and what employers should know if employees request religious accommodations to ensure that they are compliant with the law. The Lightning Round podcast is Crowell’s biweekly rundown on developments and trends in the Labor and Employment space.