Several subsequent Supreme Court rulings in the 1980s had the effect of limiting the protection of women and minority groups under equal employment laws. For example, they ratcheted up the plaintiff’s burden of proving that the employer’s acts were in fact discriminatory. This soon prompted congress to pass a new civil rights act. President George H.W. Bush signed the Civil Rights Act of 1991(CRA 1991) into law in November 1991. The effect of CRA 1991 was to roll back equal employment law to where it stood before the 1980s decisions. In some respects, it even placed more responsibility on employers.
Definition