In the 1990 case of Shirley W. Irwin v. Department of Veterans Affairs et al., the U.S. Supreme Court addressed issues related to employment discrimination and procedural deadlines for filing complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The plaintiff, Shirley W. Irwin, was a former employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs who alleged that she had been subjected to sex-based wage discrimination in violation of Title VII Civil Rights Act 1964 and Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) 1967. The central issue was whether or not "equitable tolling" could be applied to extend statutory time limits for filing such claims if claimants were unaware they existed due to misleading information from their employers or other circumstances beyond their control. The court ruled in favor of Irwin, establishing that equitable tolling is generally applicable when an individual has pursued his rights diligently but some extraordinary circumstance prevents timely filing. This decision clarified federal policy regarding deadline extensions for civil rights cases involving government agencies.

In the dissenting opinion for Shirley W. Irwin v. Department of Veterans Affairs et al., Justice Blackmun disagreed with the majority's interpretation of equitable tolling, arguing that it was too restrictive and inconsistent with precedent. He believed that the court should have considered whether Ms. Irwin acted diligently in pursuing her rights, rather than focusing on whether she had a reasonable excuse for missing the deadline to file her discrimination claim against her employer, as required by Title VII of Civil Rights Act 1964. According to him, this approach would be more consistent with Congress' intent when they enacted Title VII - to protect employees from discriminatory practices and ensure fair treatment in workplaces across America.