The Hazelwood School District v. United States case in 1976 was a significant Supreme Court decision concerning employment discrimination. The U.S Department of Justice accused the Hazelwood School District in St. Louis, Missouri, of racial bias in hiring teachers and other professional staff members between 1972 and 1974. The school district argued that it had not discriminated against African American applicants but rather hired based on qualifications alone; however, statistical evidence showed a discrepancy between the number of qualified black candidates who applied for positions and those who were actually hired by the district during this period. The Supreme Court ruled against the school district stating that while statistics are not conclusive proof of discrimination, they can be used as evidence to support such claims if there is no reasonable explanation provided for disparities shown by these numbers. This ruling set an important precedent allowing statistical data to serve as valid evidence when determining whether discriminatory practices have occurred within institutions like schools or workplaces.

The dissenting opinion in the Hazelwood School District v. United States case argued that the majority's decision was a departure from established principles of law regarding employment discrimination. The dissenters believed that the school district had indeed engaged in discriminatory practices against African American employees, contrary to what the majority concluded. They pointed out statistical disparities between black and white employees' promotions and transfers as evidence of systemic racial bias within the district. Furthermore, they criticized how quickly and easily these statistics were dismissed by their colleagues on grounds of being "insignificant" or "unreliable". The dissenting justices felt this approach undermined Title VII’s purpose: to root out both overt and subtle forms of discrimination in employment settings.