FBI Must Revive Special Agent Job Offer To Applicant Blind in One Eye, EEOC Rules

The Justice Department must revive a conditional offer of employment as an FBI special agent to a former Army captain who essentially lacks vision in his right eye, because DOJ violated the Rehabilitation Act by deeming the applicant a “direct threat” to safety without conducting an adequate individualized assessment, a divided Equal Employment Opportunity Commission decided July 19 (Nathan v. Holder).

Affirming an EEOC administrative judge’s 2006 order that DOJ unlawfully discriminated against applicant Jeremy Nathan, EEOC said Nathan was a qualified individual with a disability under the Rehabilitation Act and DOJ did not meet its burden of ...