082548P.pdf   06/01/2009  Abir Qamhiyah  v.  IA State University
   U.S. Court of Appeals Case No:  08-2548
   U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa - Des Moines   
   [PUBLISHED] [Melloy, Author, with Colloton and Gruender, Circuit
   Judges]
   Civil case - employment discrimination. Plaintiff's argument that the
   final decision maker on her tenure application was a "cat's paw" to carry
   out alleged discriminatory motive cannot rescue her direct evidence claim
   because, even assuming that discrimination existed at the lower-levels of
   the review process, there is simply no evidence that the Board of Regents,
   which made the final decision, served as a conduit, vehicle or rubber
   stamp by which others at the school carried out their unlawful design;
   district court did not err in its analysis under the McDonnell Douglas
   standard as defendants offered legitimate, non-discriminatory grounds for
   the decision not to offer plaintiff tenure which plaintiff failed to show
   were pretexts for discrimination based on her national-origin, religion and
   pregnancy; procedural irregularities in the review were not sufficient to
   show that the stated reasons were pretexts. Judge Colloton, concurring in
   the judgment.