In 1965, Congress commissioned a report by the Secretary of Labor to study age discrimination. The report that followed concluded that arbitrary discrimination against older workers was widespread and persistent, such that federal legislation was needed to address the issue. After extensive Capitol Hill hearings on the extent of discrimination against older workers in favor of younger workers, Congress passed into law the Age Discrimination in Employment Act or ADEA. On February 24, 2004, Congress revisited the ADEA and concluded that the original basis of the law did not support protection against reverse age discrimination. Thus, reverse age discrimination remains legal today and age discrimination cases for individuals under 40 are not protected under federal law.
