DOJ Sues Mississippi Senate for Alleged Discrimination Against Black Staff Attorney

The U.S. Department of Justice in Washington on June 20, 2023. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against the Mississippi state Senate on Friday for allegedly discriminating against a former Black attorney by paying her about half the salary of her white colleagues.

The DOJ accused the Senate of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination in compensation, due to its alleged discrimination against attorney Kristie Metcalfe.

Metcalfe became the Senate’s first black attorney in 34 years when she was hired in 2011. She resigned in 2019 after her request for equal pay with her white colleague was denied, according to the lawsuit.

“Discriminatory employment practices, like paying a black employee less than their white colleagues for the same work, are not only unfair, they are unlawful,” assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said in a press release.

The lawsuit alleged that the Senate offered Metcalfe a starting salary of $55,000, the lowest in 15 years and significantly lower than that of white hires who had the same job responsibilities.

One month after her hiring, the Senate gave pay raises to all attorneys except Metcalfe, with two attorneys’ salaries increasing from $95,550 to $114,000, further widening the pay gap between Metcalfe and her colleagues, the lawsuit stated.

The DOJ alleged that the Senate consistently paid Metcalfe about $40,000 to $60,000 less than the lowest-paid white attorney throughout her eight-year tenure.

In December 2018, the Senate hired another white attorney with no prior legislative experience for the same position as Metcalfe and offered him a starting salary of $101,500, which was $24,335 higher than Metcalfe’s salary at the time, according to the complaint.

It said that Metcalfe complained about the pay disparity to then-Sen. Terry Burton and three other Senate officials responsible for setting salaries for employees in the legislative services office.

Metcalfe requested pay comparable to that of the new staff but was denied by Burton, who was then chair of the Senate Rules Committee. She subsequently resigned, the lawsuit stated.

“This lawsuit makes clear that race-based pay discrimination will not be tolerated in our economy,” Clarke stated.

“Our work to eliminate race-based pay disparities is about promoting compliance with the law and promoting equity and fairness for all workers,” she added.

The DOJ sought back pay and compensatory damages for Metcalfe, and requested that the court order the Senate to implement policies aimed at preventing racial discrimination.

The Epoch Times reached out to Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann, president of the state Senate, for comment but did not hear back as of publication time.