Supreme Court hears arguments on religious discrimination, FOIA News
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Supreme Court hears arguments on religious discrimination, FOIA

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases Monday.

In the first case, Fort Bend County, Texas v. Lois M. Davis, the court must determine whether Davis can pursue her claim for religious discrimination in court before first pursuing it through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Fort Bend argues that Davis had failed to exhaust her administrative remedies on the religious discrimination claim, as required by Title VII. Davis, who is supported by Solicitor General Noel Francisco, argues that “Title VII’s charge-filing requirement is not a jurisdictional prerequisite under this Court’s precedent.”

In the second case, Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media, d/b/a Argus Media, Food Marketing Institute asks whether the statutory term “confidential” in the Freedom of Information Act Exemption 4, bears its ordinary meaning. Or, if it does not, what constitutes “substantial competitive harm” for the purpose of determining whether information falls within the Freedom of Information Act Exemption 4. These answers will determine whether the government can hide where Food Stamp money goes.

THIS DAY @ LAW

District of Columbia named seat of US government

On July 16, 1790, the District of Columbia was established as the permanent seat of the United States government by the Residence Act. Originally the district contained land on both sides of the Potomac, grants from Maryland and Virginia, but in the mid-19th century, when it was obvious that the major government buildings were being built on the Maryland side, Virginia asked for its land back and received it. Learn more about the District of Columbia.

Saddam Hussein becomes President of Iraq

On July 16, 1979, Hasan al-Bakr resigned as President of Iraq. He was replaced by Saddam Hussein, who held power until he was deposed by American forces in 2003. In 2006, Hussein was tried and convicted of crimes against humanity. He was executed by hanging later that year. Learn more about relations between the United States and Saddam Hussein from George Washington University.