Meta’s H-1B Hiring Spurs Ninth Circuit Look at Citizenship Bias

Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc.‘s alleged preference for workers on H-1B visas will come before a federal appeals court panel as the judges consider the extent of a Civil War-era civil rights law.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will hear oral argument Wednesday in a legal challenge that focuses on whether US citizens are a protected class under Section 1981 of the 1866 Civil Rights Act. A federal district court dismissed the case on the ground that the act doesn’t allow for such “reverse discrimination” claims.

Lawyers for appellant Purushothaman Rajaram told the Ninth Circuit ...