Philadelphia’s Salary History Ban Gets Appellate Court Test

The fate of Philadelphia’s law banning employers from asking applicants about their salary history is on the line in a federal appeals court today, in a case that could signal whether similar prohibitions elsewhere can survive.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit will hear oral argument in the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce’s free speech challenge to the ban. Prohibitions on asking about salary history are intended to combat the persistent wage gap that sees white men making more money than women and minorities.

A federal judge blocked the Philadelphia measure’s prohibition on salary history inquiries last ...