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GROFF v. DEJOY

Sotomayor, J., concurring

See 29 CFR §1605.2(e) (2022) (citing Hardison, 432 U. S., at 80, 84).

Petitioner Gerald Groff asks this Court to overrule Hardison and to replace it with a “significant difficulty or expense” standard. Brief for Petitioner 17–38. The Court does not do so. That is a wise choice because stare decisis has “enhanced force” in statutory cases. Kimble v. Marvel Entertainment, LLC, 576 U. S. 446, 456 (2015). Congress is free to revise this Court’s statutory interpretations. The Court’s respect for Congress’s decision not to intervene promotes the separation of powers by requiring interested parties to resort to the legislative rather than the judicial process to achieve their policy goals. This justification for statutory stare decisis is especially strong here because “Congress has spurned multiple opportunities to reverse [Hardison]—openings as frequent and clear as this Court ever sees.” Id., at 456–457.^[1] Moreover, in the decades since Hardison was decided, Congress has revised Title VII multiple times in response to other decisions of this Court,^[2] yet never in response to Hardison. See Kimble, 576 U. S., at 457.

↑ See, e.g., H. R. 1440, 117th Cong., 1st Sess., §4(a)(4) (2021); H. R. 5331, 116th Cong., 1st Sess., §4(a)(4) (2019); S. 3686, 112th Cong., 2d Sess., §4(a)(3) (2012); S. 4046, 111th Cong., 2d Sess., §4(a)(3) (2010); S. 3628, 110th Cong., 2d Sess., §2(a)(1)(B) (2008); H. R. 1431, 110th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (2007); H. R. 1445, 109th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (2005); S. 677, 109th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (2005); S. 893, 108th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (2003); S. 2572, 107th Cong., 2d Sess., §2(a)(4) (2002); H. R. 4237, 106th Cong., 2d Sess., §2(a)(4) (2000); S. 1668, 106th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (1999); H. R. 2948, 105th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (1997); S. 1124, 105th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (1997); S. 92, 105th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(3) (1997); H. R. 4117, 104th Cong., 2d Sess., §2(a)(3) (1996).
↑ See Civil Rights Act of 1991, 105 Stat. 1071 (overruling Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio, 490 U. S. 642 (1989)); Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, 123 Stat. 5 (overruling Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 550 U. S. 618 (2007)).

[1] See, e.g., H. R. 1440, 117th Cong., 1st Sess., §4(a)(4) (2021); H. R. 5331, 116th Cong., 1st Sess., §4(a)(4) (2019); S. 3686, 112th Cong., 2d Sess., §4(a)(3) (2012); S. 4046, 111th Cong., 2d Sess., §4(a)(3) (2010); S. 3628, 110th Cong., 2d Sess., §2(a)(1)(B) (2008); H. R. 1431, 110th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (2007); H. R. 1445, 109th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (2005); S. 677, 109th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (2005); S. 893, 108th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (2003); S. 2572, 107th Cong., 2d Sess., §2(a)(4) (2002); H. R. 4237, 106th Cong., 2d Sess., §2(a)(4) (2000); S. 1668, 106th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (1999); H. R. 2948, 105th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (1997); S. 1124, 105th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(4) (1997); S. 92, 105th Cong., 1st Sess., §2(a)(3) (1997); H. R. 4117, 104th Cong., 2d Sess., §2(a)(3) (1996).

[2] See Civil Rights Act of 1991, 105 Stat. 1071 (overruling Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio, 490 U. S. 642 (1989)); Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, 123 Stat. 5 (overruling Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 550 U. S. 618 (2007)).

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