A federal court in Texas yesterday struck down the Obama-era overtime rule adopted by the Department of Labor. The rule, which more than doubled the overtime threshold from $23,660 to $47,476 was originally slated to take effect last December, but was enjoined by the court just a few days earlier. In yesterday’s decision, the court found that the methodology employed by DOL in establishing the overtime threshold was flawed in that the department only considered the salary paid to employees rather than what the job descriptions provided. The court found that the intent of Congress under the Fair Labor Standards Act was to have the job functions that an employee performs determine their overtime eligibility rather than the compensation they received. From a practical standpoint, the decision has greater impact on future adjustments by the Department of Labor as Secretary Alex Acosta has expressed a desire to see the threshold raised and is currently considering the next increase. Now, the court has clearly advised that any increases should be based on job functions and not arbitrary salary targets. In fact, the Department of Labor is currently accepting public comments on the overtime threshold through September 25 and comments can be filed electronically through regulations.gov.