WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed troubled Tuesday by the Obama administration’s aggressive defense of its strategy for targeting job discrimination.
Several justices said courts should have some oversight to make sure the government is diligently trying to settle cases before taking companies to court, as required by federal law. Business groups say the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is too quick to bring expensive lawsuits.
What if the EEOC simply refused to negotiate at all with an employer it threatened to sue, Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked.
“You don’t review it,” government attorney Nicole Saharsky said.
Chief Justice John Roberts said it seemed “utterly unreasonable” that a court couldn’t review the government’s actions.
“So, just trust you?” he asked.
The case before the court involves an Illinois mining company sued by the EEOC for allegedly failing to hire qualified female job applicants.
