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In 2020, a significant ruling was made that provided protection for transgender employees.
The Supreme Court has made a significant ruling on transgender rights in the case of Bostock v. Clayton County.
The decision made in 2020 confirmed that a significant civil rights law safeguards individuals who identify as gay or transgender from facing discrimination in the workplace.
Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, who was appointed to the court by President Donald J. Trump, stated in a 6-3 ruling that it is illegal for an employer to fire someone simply for being gay or transgender. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and the court’s four liberal members also agreed with this decision.
The ruling, consisting of the majority opinion and two dissents, was 168 pages long. President Donald J. Trump told reporters that he accepted the ruling, stating that he had read it and acknowledged that some people were surprised by it. He emphasized that it was a strong decision.
The justices were tasked with determining the interpretation of a law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that prohibits discrimination in the workplace based on race, religion, national origin, and sex. They needed to decide if the prohibition against discrimination based on sex also extended to gay and transgender employees.
Justice Gorsuch stated that it was indeed the case
The author wrote that if an employer fires someone for being homosexual or transgender, they are essentially firing them for characteristics or behaviors that they would not have a problem with if the person was a different gender.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. disagreed with the argument, stating that it was very arrogant. He also mentioned that there is no evidence to support the claim that any member of Congress interpreted the law in that way when it was passed in 1964.
The law in question banned discrimination in the workplace based on gender. The case being discussed revolves around the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, which is vague and provides a framework for analysis rather than clear-cut rules. Justice Alito suggested in 2020 that the court’s ruling in this case could have a significant impact on future constitutional cases.
Adam Liptak is a journalist who focuses on the Supreme Court and writes a column called Sidebar, which discusses legal news. He attended Yale Law School and worked as a lawyer for 14 years before starting at The New York Times in 2002. To learn more about Adam Liptak, please visit his profile.
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