The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled on Mach Mining v. EEOC, No. 13-1019. We have blogged extensively about this case previously –  here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. To recap, this case was initially brought by the EEOC, in which it claimed that Mach Mining had a pattern or practice of not hiring women for mining-related positions, or, in the alternative, maintaining a neutral hiring policy that has a disparate impact on women. The company asserted a number of affirmative defenses, including that the EEOC failed to conciliate in good faith before initiating litigation. The EEOC argued that its conciliation activities not subject to judicial review.

The Supreme Court deliberated on whether the EEOC satisfied its statutory obligation to attempt conciliation before filing suit, and whether its conciliation efforts are judicially reviewable by courts. On April 29, 2015, the Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision and concluded – in an unanimous opinion authored by Justice Kagan – that federal courts have the authority to review the EEOC’s conciliation efforts.