Bonuses and Discrimination?

[lynette]

I am the HR Mgr of a small gov't contractor located in NY. Bonuses were paid to some exempt employees and not others. There was also a list compiked for possible future bonus recipients. When I asked for the selection criteria for both lists, I was told that they were discretionary.
Is it true that discretionary bonuses can be dispersed without concern for inadvertent discrimination? Any guidance would be greately appreciated.