Law360, New York ( November 2, 2015, 10:57 AM EST) -- Have you been convicted of a criminal offense? Check yes or no. We've seen this many times on job applications, and many of us never give it a second thought. However, this one line has spurred a national civil rights movement backed by advocates for job applicants with criminal convictions. The ban-the-box movement began in 1998, when Hawaii became the first state to ban employers from including questions on its job applications about criminal convictions. We have seen this initiative pick up steam in the past five years, as 18 states have passed similar laws banning employers from asking about an applicant's criminal history and running background checks during the application process. This leaves many in-house attorneys and human resources departments in limbo as they strive to balance safety and business necessity with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's views on fair hiring practices....