Five years ago, in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire Corporation, the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted Section VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as barring gender employment discrimination cases based on events older than 180 days, determining that paychecks received by an employee after the alleged discriminatory action did not constitute renewed acts of alleged discrimination. After Ledbetter, Congress amended the Civil Rights Act to provide that the 180 day statute of limitations resets with each paycheck. Since then, gender issues have taken an increasingly important role in discussions of law and policy. What are the true implications of the Ledbetter case? Has it been used, perhaps opportunistically or disingenuously, by either side in this debate? Have gender issues in general been misused in the same way?
