[JURIST] The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [official website] on Wednesday issued a new compliance manual [text; press release] that is meant to clarify how employers and employees should interpret anti-discrimination laws found in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [text; EEOC backgrounder]. EEOC Chair Cari M. Dominguez said that the manual "applies to a wide range of contemporary discrimination issues" including discrimination through the recruitment, hiring and promotion processes and also addresses harassment and retaliation in the workplace.

Title VII, which remains unchanged by the issuance of the new guidelines, prohibits discrimination in employment on the bases of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Earlier this week, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments [JURIST report] in a case that will decide the standard to determine employer liability when an employee alleges retaliation for filing a claim under Title VII. AP has more.