Hunton Employment & Labor Perspectives

In 2026, New York state and city have enacted a number of new laws impacting employers and there are other labor and employment law developments on the horizon. Please join Hunton’s New York labor and employment lawyers, Chris Pardo and James La Rocca, as they discuss new and evolving legislation and other important legal developments affecting employers.

A new law addressing workplace violence restraining orders, which expands employers ability to obtain temporary restraining orders in non-violent situations of harassment, was signed into law on September 30, 2023, became effective on January 1, 2025.

On January 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. Fulfilling one of his major campaign promises, he issued a series of executive orders on his first day in office. Two of these orders represent a significant shift regarding gender and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

“Ban-the-Box” legislation has seen steady growth throughout the country for more than two decades.  Currently, there is no federal legislation on the topic for private employers but a good number of states have limited their ability to inquire about or make decisions based on a prospective employee’s criminal background history.