D.C. Circuit Poised to Expand Law as it Weighs Trivial Job Bias

A federal appeals court in Washington traded sharp exchanges with lawyers over whether explicit workplace bias could be too small or trivial to violate federal law, in a case that appears likely to overturn precedent on when workers can sue over the denial of a lateral job transfer.

During two and a half hours of oral argument Tuesday, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit wrestled with how broadly to expand anti-bias protections. The judges considered what’s meant by a job transfer, what types of employer actions could give rise to a bias claim, and ...