{"argument_date":"2003-10-08T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2003-10-08T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2003","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","paragraphs":["Carter Phillips argued Raytheon's policy is neutral. He stated it applies to all misconduct. He claimed it does not violate the ADA. He noted thousands of employers use similar rules. He emphasized the policy targets serious workplace behavior.","Paul Clement argued the policy is a mutual refusal. He stated it does not constitute disparate treatment. He claimed it applies even to drug-related misconduct. He argued the rule is neutral and lawful. He emphasized the policy's consistent application.","Juan Montoya argued the Ninth Circuit relied on two predicates. He stated one was a discriminatory impact analysis. He claimed the other involved Raytheon's intent. He argued the court's decision was clear. He emphasized the legal basis for the lower court's ruling."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 18, lines 19-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 18, lines 19-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 45-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 45-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 29-3"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 5-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 5-9"}]}],"caption":"Raytheon Co. v. Hernandez","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:30.974669Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"},{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:30.987485Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"Raytheon argues its no-rehire rule for misconduct is neutral. Hernandez claims it discriminates against disabled workers.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 18, lines 19-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 18, lines 19-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 45-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 45-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 29-3"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2003-10-08T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2003","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/02-749.html","primary_docket":"02-749","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T16:12:34.324054Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":1},{"correction_note":"Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.","created_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":2}],"schema_version":"1.1","sections":[{"heading":"What this case is about","paragraphs":["Raytheon fired Hernandez for drug-related misconduct. The company barred him from future hiring. Hernandez sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act. He claims the policy discriminates against disabled employees. Raytheon says the rule applies to all misconduct. The Ninth Circuit sided with Hernandez. Raytheon seeks reversal."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 18, lines 19-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 18, lines 19-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 45-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 45-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 29-3"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on October 8, 2003."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 5-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 5-9"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["Raytheon wants the Court to reverse the Ninth Circuit. It seeks a ruling that its no-rehire policy is neutral. The company argues the policy does not violate the ADA.","Hernandez wants the Court to affirm the Ninth Circuit. He seeks a ruling that the policy discriminates. He argues the rule disproportionately harms disabled workers."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 18, lines 19-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 18, lines 19-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 45-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 45-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 29-3"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["Raytheon argues its policy is a mutual refusal to rehire. It claims the rule targets serious misconduct. The company states this does not constitute disparate treatment under the ADA.","Hernandez argues the policy has a discriminatory impact. He claims the rule disproportionately affects disabled employees. He asserts the Ninth Circuit correctly applied this analysis."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 18, lines 19-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 18, lines 19-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 45-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 45-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 29-3"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Chief Justice Rehnquist asked if the case was submitted. He thanked Mr. Phillips for his argument. The Court ended the oral argument session."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 5-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 5-9"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["Employers use no-rehire policies to manage workplace safety. These rules often target serious misconduct. The ADA protects disabled workers from discrimination. A ruling here defines the scope of that protection. It affects how companies enforce conduct rules. It impacts hiring practices nationwide. It balances employer safety needs with employee rights."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 18, lines 19-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 18, lines 19-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 45-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 45-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 29-3"}]},{"heading":"What happens next","paragraphs":["This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 5-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 5-9"}]}],"slug":"2003-02-749-raytheon-co-v-hernandez","term":"2003","title":"Does a no-rehire policy for misconduct violate the ADA?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 18, lines 19-1","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 18, lines 19-1"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 45-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 45-9"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-3","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-749.pdf","page_label":"file page 50, lines 29-3"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}