New Jersey AG Clarifies Language-Based Discrimination Standards

New Jersey employers can violate the state’s civil rights law if a worker faces discrimination or harassment tied to their language or accent, the attorney general’s office said in a new guidance memo.

The state’s Law Against Discrimination doesn’t explicitly prohibit language bias. But mistreatment based on a person’s language can often be evidence of discrimination linked to other protected traits such as religion or national origin, according to the Friday guidance from AG Matthew J. Platkin.

Federal agencies and courts similarly have recognized that language-based bias can contribute to claims of illegal discrimination, depending on the facts of each ...