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A significant legal ruling in 2020 set a precedent by protecting the rights of transgender workers.
There has been only one significant ruling by the Supreme Court regarding transgender rights, which is the case of Bostock v. Clayton County.
In 2020, a decision was made stating that a significant civil rights law safeguards individuals who are gay or transgender from facing discrimination in the workplace.
Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, who was appointed to the court by President Trump, stated in a 6-3 ruling that it is against the law for an employer to terminate an individual simply for being gay or transgender. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and the court’s four liberal members also supported this decision.
The combined opinion of the majority and two dissents covered a total of 168 pages. President Donald J. Trump told reporters that he agreed with the ruling, stating that he had read it and acknowledged that while some were surprised, the decision had been made and they had to abide by it. He also described it as a significant ruling.
The justices were tasked with interpreting a law called Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in employment based on race, religion, national origin, and sex. They needed to determine if the prohibition against discrimination based on sex also included protection for gay and transgender workers.
Justice Gorsuch stated that it was indeed the case
The writer mentioned that when an employer fires someone for being homosexual or transgender, they are essentially discriminating against that person based on characteristics or behaviors that would not have been an issue if they were a different gender.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. expressed disagreement by stating that the argument presented was extremely arrogant. He emphasized that there was no proof that any member of Congress understood the text of the law in that particular way when it was passed in 1964.
The law that was passed made it illegal for workplaces to discriminate based on sex. However, the case being discussed now focuses on the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, which is more broad and sets up a framework for analysis rather than specific rules. Justice Alito mentioned in 2020 that the court’s decision in this case could have an impact on other constitutional cases.
Adam Liptak is a journalist who focuses on reporting on the Supreme Court and writes a column called Sidebar that discusses legal updates. He graduated from Yale Law School and worked as a lawyer for 14 years before starting his career at The New York Times in 2002. To learn more about Adam Liptak, visit his profile
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