April Advocacy Wins

April was a big month for the Purple Campaign and we are celebrating all of the wins we accomplished as a team and with our stakeholders.

In the Courts

Within the same week, the courts made favorable decisions in two separate cases we’ve been involved with by filing amicus briefs arguing for stronger workplace harassment protections.

Caryn Devins Strickland v. United States, et al.
The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit rendered an opinion recognizing former federal judiciary employee, Caryn Devins Strickland’s (formerly known as Jane Roe), right to remedy injuries caused by workplace discrimination under the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the Fifth Amendment. The ruling recognizes, for the first time, the Constitutional right of employees of the federal judiciary to work in an environment free from sexual harassment.

We issued a statement following the decision applauding the landmark ruling.

Dent v. Constellation
The Illinois Supreme Court reversed an earlier Appellate Court ruling in the case of Dent v. Constellation, thus ensuring protection for those who report harassment and discrimination, and those who participate in investigations, from retaliation and defamation. The court agreed with the reasoning provided in the amicus brief signed onto by the Purple Campaign, that it is vitally important to uphold standards that protect individuals who report sexual harassment against retaliatory defamation lawsuits.

This decision encourages survivors to come forward and provides a safe path for them to litigate appropriately.

I discussed these milestones in a recent blog post I authored on The Purple Post. Take a look!

Policy Design Workshop

Turning the Great Resignation into Great Opportunity
Together with Harvard Law School Executive Education, we hosted our annual policy design workshop and brought together nearly 50 industry leaders, researchers, advocates, and policy experts for a two-day interactive policy design workshop to share and solicit input on reforms to address workplace harassment and attract and retain top talent.

We’re eager to share key insights from our 13 featured speakers and group learnings from our breakout sessions. Stay tuned for a workshop report and monitor our social media to catch video clip segments from experts like Elizabeth Nieto, Head of Equity & Impact at Spotify, and Robb McFadden, Head of Employee Relations at Gilead Sciences.

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We’re excited for the summer ahead as we continue to press forward with our advocacy efforts in the federal judiciary and the advancement of our corporate certification program!

As always, thank you for supporting our work and always cheering on the Purple Campaign.

#PledgePurple,
Shea Holman
Purple Campaign Director of Law & Policy