Whites held almost all the professional position in an Alaskan cannery, while Inuit and Filipinos were concentrated in unskilled jobs. A minority worker sued the cannery. In 1971 the Supreme Court had decided unamimously that it was up to emploters to justify practices that resulted in discrimination. In 1989 the USpreme Court shifted the burden of proof to employees, who had to show that the challenge practices were not necessary to running the business.