SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
For Immediate Release
February, 13 2019, 11:00pm EDT
Contact:
Derrick Robinson, Lawyers’ Committee, DRobinson@LawyersCommittee.org, 202-662-8317
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Co-Counsel File Discrimination Charge Against Georgia Tech & the University System of Georgia Over their Use of Criminal History Records to Deny Jobs
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Outten & Golden LLP, and Atlanta-based Buckley Beal LLP recently filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), and the University System of Georgia (USG), alleging that the University's criminal background check policies and practices used to screen job applicants result in unlawful discrimination against African Americans in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The charge was filed on behalf of Mr.
ATLANTA, GA
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Outten & Golden LLP, and Atlanta-based Buckley Beal LLP recently filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), and the University System of Georgia (USG), alleging that the University's criminal background check policies and practices used to screen job applicants result in unlawful discrimination against African Americans in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The charge was filed on behalf of Mr. Benjamin Paul and similarly situated individuals.
Mr. Paul, a 30-year-old single father, quit his job at Miami Dade College and moved from Florida to Atlanta after Georgia Tech offered him a job as a career advisor. According to the EEOC charge, Georgia Tech rescinded the job offer based on Mr. Paul's criminal history record which stems from incidents that occurred over twelve years ago, when he was 17 or 18 years old. According to his charge, Mr. Paul has worked hard to better himself, and in the twelve years since his convictions has earned a bachelor's and master's degree, acquired years of relevant work experience, and demonstrated his commitment to public service in numerous ways. Most notably, Mr. Paul served with AmeriCorps VISTA and was the recipient of the Corporation for National and Community Service President's Volunteer Service Award.
"For a university system with such a large workforce, it's imperative that fair and lawful background check policies are in place. Mr. Paul turned his life around yet he still suffers the collateral consequences for crimes he committed as a teenager," said Dariely Rodriguez, Director of the Economic Justice Project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "Qualified individuals like Mr. Paul, who happen to have a criminal record, deserve a meaningful opportunity for employment."
According to 2016 data from The Sentencing Project, Georgia's incarceration rate per 100,000 inmates was 235 Hispanic, 329 white, and 1,066 black. This makes Georgia one of twelve states where more than half of the prison population is black. And the percentage of black adults with felony convictions has risen much faster among blacks than among whites. In Georgia, the percentage of blacks with a felony conviction grew from an estimated 7 percent in 1980 to 26 percent in 2010.
"I was excited to start the job at Georgia Tech. I have experience doing exactly the kind of work they were hiring me for," Mr. Paul stated. "I have worked diligently over the past decade to provide for myself and my family while finding ways to give back to my community. I was devastated when Georgia Tech revoked the job offer notwithstanding all of the concrete steps I have taken to demonstrate that my criminal history does not define me."
"When employers use criminal history to make hiring decisions, they must comply with the law and ensure that the rights of job applicants are protected," said Ossai Miazad, a partner in Outten & Golden's New York office.
The USG is composed of twenty-six higher education institutions. According to its website, the USG employs 157,967 individuals representing about 3.6% of all jobs in the state of Georgia.
"Our firm is deeply committed to equal employment opportunity for everyone regardless of race, and we are pleased to partner with Outten & Golden and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in the important fight for that fundamental principle," said Brian J. Sutherland, a partner at Atlanta-based Buckley Beal.
The attorney primarily responsible for this matter at the Lawyers' Committee is: Dariely Rodriguez[1], Director, Economic Justice Project, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, 1500 K Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005, Direct Telephone: (202) 662-8330, Email: drodriguez@lawyerscommittee.org.
The attorneys primarily responsible for this matter at Outten & Golden are: Ossai Miazad[2], Partner, Outten & Golden LLP, Email: om@outtengolden.com, and Michael C. Danna[3], Associate, Outten & Golden, LLP, Email: mdanna@outtengolden.com, 685 Third Avenue, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017, Telephone: (212) 245-1000.
The Georgia licensed attorney primarily responsible for this matter at Buckley Beal is: Brian J. Sutherland[4], Partner, Buckley Beal LLP, 600 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 3900, Atlanta, GA 30308, Direct Telephone: (404) 920-0318, Email: bsutherland@buckleybeal.com.
If you have had a similar experience or would like to learn more about this case, please visit: https://www.criminalconvictiondiscrimination.com/case/georgia-tech
A written retainer agreement signed by an authorized agent of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Outten & Golden, and Buckley Beal will be required in the event that any legal services will be provided to you.
The Lawyers' Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar's leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity - work that continues to be vital today.
(202) 662-8600LATEST NEWS
‘New Level of Open and Deliberate Defiance of International Law’: Israel Demolishes UNRWA Buildings
"What happens today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organization or diplomatic mission, whether in the occupied Palestinian territory or anywhere around the world," said the agency.
Jan 20, 2026
Israeli authorities' demolition of the headquarters of the United Nations agency that has for decades provided aid and civil services to Palestinians in territories illegally occupied by Israel was about "more than destroying walls," said one journalist and rights advocate in the region.
The bulldozing of the complex on Monday attacks the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East's (UNRWA) "very mission since 1949, violates the rights of Palestinian refugees, and aims to erase the support system they rely on," said Maha Hussaini, head of media and public engagement at the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
Hussaini was among those who spoke out as Israeli forces stormed the complex with bulldozers and began destroying buildings at the site after having sealed off the surrounding streets in East Jerusalem, the occupied city that Palestinians consider the capital of a future Palestinian state.
The Israel Defense Forces and demolition workers were also accompanied by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who said the destruction of the compound, which has operated at the site for decades, marked a "historic day."
UN officials and other rights advocates, such as Jonathan Whittall—formerly the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories—said Israeli authorities were once again broadcasting their "contravention of their obligations under international law."
This morning, Israeli authorities are demolishing #UnitedNations property in #EastJerusalem, yet another live-streamed contravention of their obligations under international law. Just months ago, the ICJ reaffirmed that Israel "may not obstruct the functions of UNRWA in the OPT". pic.twitter.com/wqXvKzcKkH
— Jonathan Whittall (@_jwhittall) January 20, 2026
Whittall emphasized that Israel's destruction of UN property came months after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) "reaffirmed that Israel 'may not obstruct the functions of UNRWA.'"
UNRWA released a statement accusing Israel of "a new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law," noting that the country is obligated "to protect and respect the inviolability of UN premises."
Ben-Gvir led the destruction of the headquarters more than a year after Israeli lawmakers passed a law banning UNRWA, and weeks after the country banned dozens of international aid groups from operating in Gaza. Israeli officials claimed in 2024 that a small fraction of UNRWA's 13,000 staffers in Gaza had been involved in a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, but an independent investigation found that they had not backed up their claims with evidence.
UNRWA noted that last week, Israeli forces stormed an UNRWA health center in East Jerusalem and ordered it closed, and water and power supplies to the agency's health and education buildings across the region are scheduled to be cut in the coming weeks.
"These actions, together with previous arson attacks and a large-scale disinformation campaign, fly in the face of the ruling in October by the International Court of Justice, which restated that Israel is obliged under international law to facilitate UNRWA’s operations, not hinder or prevent them," said UNRWA. "The court also stressed that Israel has no jurisdiction over East Jerusalem."
"There can be no exceptions. This must be a wake-up call," the agency added. "What happens today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organization or diplomatic mission, whether in the occupied Palestinian territory or anywhere around the world. International law has come under increasing attack for too long and is risking irrelevancy in the absence of response by member states.”
In the UK, member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn spoke to his fellow lawmakers about the destruction of the UNRWA compound—on top of Israel's continued slaughter of Palestinians despite a "ceasefire" deal that was reached in October and settler attacks in the West Bank—and demanded to know: "When is the British government going to impose sanctions on Israel for its endless violations of international law?"
Israel has begun bulldozing the UNRWA headquarters in occupied Jerusalem.
When is the British government going to impose sanctions on Israel for its endless violations of international law? pic.twitter.com/YADND8varu
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 20, 2026
International law advocate and UN representative Mohamad Safa noted that Israeli authorities violated Article 52 of Additional Protocol (I) Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter when they took over UNRWA's headquarters and raised the Israeli flag there.
"Another violation of international law being broadcast live. Israel's impunity must end!" he said.
Last week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN could take Israel before the ICJ over its laws targeting UNRWA.
The UN, said Guterres, cannot remain indifferent to "actions taken by Israel, which are in direct contravention of the obligations of Israel under international law. They must be reversed without delay.”
Keep ReadingShow Less
Coalition Urges Congress to Block All Funding for ICE 'Surveillance Panopticon'
"Milquetoast calls for better identification, bodycams, and training fall far short of what is required of you to meet this moment."
Jan 20, 2026
A broad coalition of organizations is calling on the US Congress to block funding for the mass surveillance programs being used by federal immigration enforcement officials.
In a letter sent to members of Congress, the groups decry US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for "leveraging a multi-billion dollar budget to terrorize our communities and build a surveillance panopticon" with no accountability from elected officials.
The letter then singles out several mass surveillance projects being carried out under the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that it says are worthy of defunding, including "building databases of biometrics, sensitive personal data, and daily movements of not only immigrants, but everybody in the US"; "purchasing technology to surveil all the phones in a neighborhood without a warrant"; and "recklessly relying on facial recognition technology that is banned in some states, and misusing that data to intimidate protesters and witnesses."
The groups call on Congress to completely defund ICE or, if that is not politically feasible, to "severely restrict what ICE can spend money on, including a complete moratorium on the purchase and use of surveillance tech" such as facial recognition and license plate readers.
"We urge you to do everything within your power in order to block ICE’s reign of terror in our communities and halt the build out of surveillance tech infrastructure that will make it impossible for everyday people to do anything at all without Big Brother watching," the groups conclude. "Milquetoast calls for better identification, bodycams, and training fall far short of what is required of you to meet this moment."
Signatories of the letter include the Yale Privacy Lab, digital rights organization Fight for the Future, and several local chapters of progressive political organizing group Indivisible.
ICE's big investments in surveillance technology were documented in an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) report published earlier this month, which found ICE "is going on a shopping spree, creating one of the largest, most comprehensive domestic surveillance machines in history."
The EFF report highlighted the role played by Cellebrite, a company that helps ICE unlock protesters' phones and "take a complete image of all the data on the phone, including apps, location history, photos, notes, call records, text messages, and even Signal and WhatsApp messages."
This is particularly important, the report noted, because the number of phones searched by ICE and other agencies has been steadily increasing, hitting a record high last year.
ICE also has a contract with Paragon, the company behind the spyware Graphite that "is able to harvest messages from multiple different encrypted chat apps such as Signal and WhatsApp without the user ever knowing."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Trump Inflation Hit Average US Family With $1,625 in Higher Costs Last Year: Report
"While the president pledged that he would end inflation and now claims that prices are down, the data reflects what families are experiencing every day: higher costs that make it harder to make ends meet.”
Jan 20, 2026
A congressional report published Tuesday further undercut US President Donald Trump's claim that he has defeated inflation, estimating that the average American family paid $1,625 in higher costs last year as the Republican president's tariffs and broader policy agenda drove up prices across the nation's economy.
The new analysis by Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) found that the $1,625 total includes $323 more for housing expenses and $241 more for transportation costs. In some states—including Alaska, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York—the average family paid more than $2,000 in higher costs in 2025 as prices for groceries, housing, and other necessities continued to rise under Trump's leadership.
Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), the ranking member of the JEC, said in a statement that "President Trump has imposed reckless tariffs, driven up healthcare costs, and created economic uncertainty. And because of these choices that he made, Americans are paying over $1,600 more than when he came into office."
“While the president pledged that he would end inflation and now claims that prices are down," Hassan added, "the data reflects what families are experiencing every day: higher costs that make it harder to make ends meet.”
The JEC report was released just weeks after Trump falsely proclaimed in a year-end address to the nation that "inflation is stopped" and "prices are down." CNN fact checker Daniel Dale noted that inflation data released on the morning of Trump's December 17 speech showed that "average consumer prices were 2.7% higher in December than they were a year prior and 0.3% higher than they were in November."
Trump also used his primetime speech to hail the supposed successes of his tariff regime. But a report released Monday showed that US consumers and businesses, not foreign exporters, are shouldering nearly all of the burden of the White House's import taxes.
"Despite President Trump’s claims that 2025 was the 'greatest first year in history' for an American president, Americans’ attitudes about their economic security and the latest economic data say otherwise," experts at the Center for American Progress wrote Tuesday. "With increased costs of everyday items due to tariffs and fewer job opportunities, families are feeling the direct impacts of the Trump administration’s harmful economic policies."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular