WASHINGTON – In back-to-back, divided rulings on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court raised the bar for employees seeking to prove discrimination in their workplaces.

The justices split along ideological lines in two cases, one concerning the definition of "supervisor" for purposes of Title VII liability, and the other, involving the burden of proof in Title VII retaliation claims—the fastest growing category of discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.