*On this date in 1971, Griggs v. Duke Power Co. was decided. This court case was argued before the United States Supreme Court on December 14, 1970. It concerned employment racial discrimination and the adverse impact theory. It is generally considered the first case of its type.
The Supreme Court ruled that the company's employment requirements did not pertain to applicants' ability to perform the job and so were unintentionally discriminating against Black employees. The judgment famously held that "Congress has now provided that tests or criteria for employment or promotion may not provide equality of opportunity merely in the sense of the fabled offer of milk to the stork and the fox."
