{"ID":55355,"name":"Ash v. Tyson Foods, Inc.","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/cases\/2005\/05-379","view_count":0,"docket_number":"05-379","additional_docket_numbers":null,"manner_of_jurisdiction":"Writ of \u003Ci\u003Ecertiorari\u003C\/i\u003E","first_party":"Anthony Ash et al.","second_party":"Tyson Foods, Inc.","timeline":[{"event":"Decided","dates":[1140501600],"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_timeline\/case_timeline\/39604"}],"lower_court":{"ID":15,"name":"United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/taxonomy\/term\/15"},"facts_of_the_case":"\u003Cp\u003EAsh, an African American and an employee at a Tyson Foods poultry plant, was passed over for a promotion and sued the company for employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A jury found for Ash and awarded damages, but the District Court granted Tyson\u0027s motion for judgment as a matter of law, and ordered a new trial. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the District Court\u0027s order, finding that the evidence presented by Ash was insufficient to support the damages awarded. Tyson claimed that Ash had been passed over for a more qualified employee, and in response Ash introduced evidence of his own superior qualifications in order to show that Tyson\u0027s reason was merely a pretext. The Circuit Court held that Ash\u0027s evidence did not meet the standard for establishing pretext: the disparity in qualifications needed to be \u0022so apparent as virtually to jump off the page and slap you in the face.\u0022 In the course of its opinion, the Eleventh Circuit also held that the Tyson plant manager\u0027s use of the word \u0022boy\u0022 to refer to Ash was not evidence of racial animus, because it was never coupled with racial classifications.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","question":"\u003Cp\u003E(1) Did the Circuit Court use the proper standard of evidence for establishing that an employer\u0027s asserted nondiscriminatory reason for a hiring decision is pretextual? (2) Can an employer\u0027s use of the word \u0022boy\u0022 to refer to an employee ever be evidence of racial animus?\u003C\/p\u003E\n","conclusion":"\u003Cp\u003ENo and Yes. In an anonymous and unanimous \u003Cem\u003Eper curiam\u003C\/em\u003E opinion, the Court ruled that the Eleventh Circuit had made two separate errors in its decision. First, the Court found the Circuit Court\u0027s \u0022jump off the page and slap you in the face\u0022 image to be \u0022unhelpful and imprecise as an elaboration of the standard.\u0022 The Court did not precisely define the standard for pretext claims based on superior qualifications or rule on whether Ash necessarily had established pretext. Second, the Court held that while the word \u0022boy\u0022 is not always evidence of racism, it not always benign either. The meaning depends \u0022on various factors including context, inflection, tone of voice, local custom, and historical usage,\u0022 and not on the presence of racial modifiers like \u0022black\u0022 or \u0022white.\u0022 The Circuit Court\u0027s decision was reversed, and the Circuit Court was instructed to determine whether the errors were essential to the outcome of the case.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","advocates":null,"oral_argument_audio":null,"citation":{"volume":"546","page":"454","year":"2006","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_citation\/case_citation\/20634"},"decisions":[{"description":null,"votes":[{"member":{"ID":15060,"name":"John Paul Stevens","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/john_paul_stevens","view_count":0,"last_name":"Stevens","roles":[{"id":2704,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":188200800,"date_end":1277787600,"appointing_president":"Gerald Ford","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2704"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32732,"mime":"image\/png","size":62101,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/john_paul_stevens\/john_paul_stevens.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":12611,"identifier":"john_paul_stevens"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":2,"ideology":-2.81,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/178644"},{"member":{"ID":15049,"name":"Antonin Scalia","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/antonin_scalia","view_count":0,"last_name":"Scalia","roles":[{"id":2693,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":528094800,"date_end":1455343200,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2693"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32678,"mime":"image\/png","size":58944,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/antonin_scalia\/antonin_scalia.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":10732,"identifier":"antonin_scalia"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":3,"ideology":2.541,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/178645"},{"member":{"ID":15113,"name":"Anthony M. Kennedy","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/anthony_m_kennedy","view_count":0,"last_name":"Kennedy","roles":[{"id":2757,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":572162400,"date_end":1533013200,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2757"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32679,"mime":"image\/png","size":47100,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/anthony_m_kennedy\/anthony_m_kennedy.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":11121,"identifier":"anthony_m_kennedy"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":4,"ideology":0.494,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/178646"},{"member":{"ID":15042,"name":"David H. Souter","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/david_h_souter","view_count":0,"last_name":"Souter","roles":[{"id":2686,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":655362000,"date_end":1246251600,"appointing_president":"George H. W. Bush","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2686"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32703,"mime":"image\/png","size":42141,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/david_h_souter\/david_h_souter.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":6839,"identifier":"david_h_souter"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":5,"ideology":-1.566,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/178647"},{"member":{"ID":15100,"name":"Clarence Thomas","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/clarence_thomas","view_count":0,"last_name":"Thomas","roles":[{"id":2744,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":688194000,"date_end":0,"appointing_president":"George H. W. Bush","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2744"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32680,"mime":"image\/png","size":49064,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/clarence_thomas\/clarence_thomas.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":12518,"identifier":"clarence_thomas"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":6,"ideology":3.957,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/178648"},{"member":{"ID":15084,"name":"Ruth Bader Ginsburg","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/ruth_bader_ginsburg","view_count":0,"last_name":"Ginsburg","roles":[{"id":2728,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":744958800,"date_end":1600405200,"appointing_president":"Bill Clinton","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2728"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32681,"mime":"image\/png","size":45030,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/ruth_bader_ginsburg\/ruth_bader_ginsburg.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":9901,"identifier":"ruth_bader_ginsburg"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":7,"ideology":-1.616,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/178649"},{"member":{"ID":15139,"name":"Stephen G. Breyer","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/stephen_g_breyer","view_count":0,"last_name":"Breyer","roles":[{"id":2785,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":775890000,"date_end":1656565200,"appointing_president":"Bill Clinton","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2785"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32682,"mime":"image\/png","size":49908,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/stephen_g_breyer\/stephen_g_breyer.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":10193,"identifier":"stephen_g_breyer"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":8,"ideology":-1.266,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/178650"},{"member":{"ID":15086,"name":"John G. Roberts, Jr.","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/john_g_roberts_jr","view_count":0,"last_name":"Roberts","roles":[{"id":2730,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":1127970000,"date_end":0,"appointing_president":"George W. Bush","role_title":"Chief Justice of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2730"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32683,"mime":"image\/png","size":52305,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/john_g_roberts_jr\/john_g_roberts_jr.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":7428,"identifier":"john_g_roberts_jr"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":1,"ideology":1.383,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/178651"},{"member":{"ID":15068,"name":"Samuel A. Alito, Jr.","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/samuel_a_alito_jr","view_count":0,"last_name":"Alito","roles":[{"id":2712,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":1138687200,"date_end":0,"appointing_president":"George W. Bush","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2712"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32684,"mime":"image\/png","size":44799,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/samuel_alito_jr\/samuel_alito_jr.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":7304,"identifier":"samuel_a_alito_jr"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":9,"ideology":1.408,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/178652"}],"majority_vote":9,"minority_vote":0,"winning_party":"Ash","decision_type":"per curiam","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_decision\/case_decision\/13375"}],"first_party_label":"Petitioner","second_party_label":"Respondent","heard_by":[null],"decided_by":{"ID":15149,"name":"Roberts Court (2006-2009)","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/courts\/roberts2","view_count":0,"members":[{"ID":15086,"name":"John G. Roberts, Jr.","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/john_g_roberts_jr","view_count":0,"last_name":"Roberts","roles":[{"id":2730,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":1127970000,"date_end":0,"appointing_president":"George W. Bush","role_title":"Chief Justice of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2730"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32683,"mime":"image\/png","size":52305,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/john_g_roberts_jr\/john_g_roberts_jr.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":7428,"identifier":"john_g_roberts_jr"},{"ID":15060,"name":"John Paul Stevens","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/john_paul_stevens","view_count":0,"last_name":"Stevens","roles":[{"id":2704,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":188200800,"date_end":1277787600,"appointing_president":"Gerald Ford","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2704"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32732,"mime":"image\/png","size":62101,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/john_paul_stevens\/john_paul_stevens.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":12611,"identifier":"john_paul_stevens"},{"ID":15049,"name":"Antonin Scalia","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/antonin_scalia","view_count":0,"last_name":"Scalia","roles":[{"id":2693,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":528094800,"date_end":1455343200,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2693"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32678,"mime":"image\/png","size":58944,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/antonin_scalia\/antonin_scalia.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":10732,"identifier":"antonin_scalia"},{"ID":15113,"name":"Anthony M. Kennedy","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/anthony_m_kennedy","view_count":0,"last_name":"Kennedy","roles":[{"id":2757,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":572162400,"date_end":1533013200,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2757"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32679,"mime":"image\/png","size":47100,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/anthony_m_kennedy\/anthony_m_kennedy.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":11121,"identifier":"anthony_m_kennedy"},{"ID":15042,"name":"David H. Souter","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/david_h_souter","view_count":0,"last_name":"Souter","roles":[{"id":2686,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":655362000,"date_end":1246251600,"appointing_president":"George H. W. Bush","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2686"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32703,"mime":"image\/png","size":42141,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/david_h_souter\/david_h_souter.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":6839,"identifier":"david_h_souter"},{"ID":15100,"name":"Clarence Thomas","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/clarence_thomas","view_count":0,"last_name":"Thomas","roles":[{"id":2744,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":688194000,"date_end":0,"appointing_president":"George H. W. Bush","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2744"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32680,"mime":"image\/png","size":49064,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/clarence_thomas\/clarence_thomas.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":12518,"identifier":"clarence_thomas"},{"ID":15084,"name":"Ruth Bader Ginsburg","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/ruth_bader_ginsburg","view_count":0,"last_name":"Ginsburg","roles":[{"id":2728,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":744958800,"date_end":1600405200,"appointing_president":"Bill Clinton","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2728"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32681,"mime":"image\/png","size":45030,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/ruth_bader_ginsburg\/ruth_bader_ginsburg.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":9901,"identifier":"ruth_bader_ginsburg"},{"ID":15139,"name":"Stephen G. Breyer","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/stephen_g_breyer","view_count":0,"last_name":"Breyer","roles":[{"id":2785,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":775890000,"date_end":1656565200,"appointing_president":"Bill Clinton","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2785"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32682,"mime":"image\/png","size":49908,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/stephen_g_breyer\/stephen_g_breyer.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":10193,"identifier":"stephen_g_breyer"},{"ID":15068,"name":"Samuel A. Alito, Jr.","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/samuel_a_alito_jr","view_count":0,"last_name":"Alito","roles":[{"id":2712,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":1138687200,"date_end":0,"appointing_president":"George W. Bush","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2712"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32684,"mime":"image\/png","size":44799,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/samuel_alito_jr\/samuel_alito_jr.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":7304,"identifier":"samuel_a_alito_jr"}],"court_start":1138687200,"images":[{"id":12234,"mime":"image\/jpeg","size":70439,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/courts\/roberts2.jpg"}],"identifier":"roberts2"},"term":"2005","location":null,"opinion_announcement":null,"description":null,"written_opinion":[{"id":2415,"title":"Opinion of the Court","author":null,"type":{"value":"majority","label":"Opinion of the Court"},"justia_opinion_id":1962024,"justia_opinion_url":"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/546\/454\/","judge_full_name":null,"judge_last_name":null,"title_overwrite":null,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_document\/written_opinion\/2415"}],"related_cases":null,"justia_url":"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/546\/454\/","argument2_url":null}