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Former Jones Day Attorney Tapped For Position At The EEOC

The pick has actually worked to expand Title VII protections.

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Sharon Fast Gustafson

The position of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission general counsel has been void since December of 2016. The top litigator position has broad discretion in deciding what Title VII cases to pursue, and, as such, will take the lead in determining the Trump administration’s stance on such hot button issues as sexual harassment and the gender pay gap.

The Trump administration has just announced their nomination for EEOC GC, and they’ve gone with yet another former Jones Day lawyer to fill the role. Sharon Fast Gustafson got the nod yesterday, and she spent four years as a Jones Day associate before hanging out her own shingle as a solo practitioner in 1995.

Just because Donald Trump nominated her to a position in the EEOC doesn’t mean Gustafson has a retrograde position on what the EEOC’s role should be. Indeed, as reported by Bloomberg, Gustafson worked as a solo practitioner to expand discrimination protections under Title VII:

Gustafson was part of a legal team that convinced the U.S. Supreme Court to expand discrimination protections for pregnant workers in 2015. She represented UPS driver Peggy Young, who sued the company for forcing Young to take a leave of absence when doctors advised her not to lift heavy objects during her pregnancy.

In addition to the role of general counsel, the EEOC is also waiting on Senate confirmation of three members of the five-person panel (two Republicans and reconfirmation of a Democratic nominee).

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headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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