No. 18-1171October Term 2019Decided Mar 23, 2020
Comcast Corp. v. National Assn. of African-American Owned Media
This case asked what a business must prove to sue for race discrimination under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 after Comcast refused to carry channels owned by an African-American-owned media company.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Mar 23, 2020
- What it's about
This case asked what a business must prove to sue for race discrimination under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 after Comcast refused to carry channels owned by an African-American-owned media company. The Supreme Court held that the plaintiff must show that race was the but-for cause of the injury, not just that race played some role in the decision.
Question presented
Does a claim of race discrimination under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 fail in the absence of but-for causation?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit / Decision released Mar 23, 2020
- Area
Civil Rights
Timing
Decided March 23, 2020
The Court released its decision on March 23, 2020 without hearing oral argument.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 3, 2026
- Method
- Methodology