Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc.
Decided June 1, 2015. Antonin Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 14-86 · 575 U.S. 768 (2015) · Cited 294 times
Holding
To prevail in a disparate-treatment claim, an applicant need show only that his need for an accommodation was a motivating factor in the employer's decision, not that the employer had knowledge of his need.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 8–1.
Majority · 7
- Antonin Scalia · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Elena Kagan
- John Glover Roberts Jr.
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
Concurring · 1
- Samuel A. Alito Jr. · filed a concurring opinion
Dissenting · 1
- Clarence Thomas · filed a dissenting opinion
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison · 432 U.S. 63 (1977)
- Ricci v. DeStefano · 557 U.S. 557 (2009)
- Raytheon Co. v. Hernandez · 540 U.S. 44 (2003)
- Griggs v. Duke Power Co. · 401 U.S. 424 (1971)
- Personnel Administrator of Mass. v. Feeney · 442 U.S. 256 (1979)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
- General Electric Co. v. Gilbert · 429 U.S. 125 (1976)
- Ansonia Board of Education v. Philbrook · 479 U.S. 60 (1986)
- Nashville Gas Co. v. Satty · 434 U.S. 136 (1977)
- Dewey v. Reynolds Metals Co. · 402 U.S. 689 (1971)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Groff v. DeJoy · 600 U.S. 447 (2023)
- Stanley v. City of Sanford · 606 U.S. 46 (2025)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
Explore from here
Antonin Scalia’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2015). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).