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A significant ruling in 2020 set a precedent for protecting the rights of transgender employees. This decision is considered important in legal
There has been only one significant ruling by the Supreme Court regarding transgender rights, which is the case of Bostock v. Clayton County.
The decision made in 2020 stated that a significant civil rights law safeguards gay and transgender employees against discrimination in the workplace.
Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, the first Supreme Court Justice appointed by President Trump, stated that it is against the law for an employer to terminate an employee solely based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., along with four liberal justices, also agreed with this ruling in a 6-3 decision.
The ruling, which consisted of a majority opinion and two dissents, was 168 pages long. President Donald J. Trump stated to the press that he acknowledged and accepted the ruling, mentioning that although it may have come as a surprise to some, it was still a decision that they would abide by. He also commented on the decision, calling it a significant one.
The justices were tasked with interpreting a law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that prohibits discrimination in employment based on race, religion, national origin, and sex. They needed to determine if this prohibition also extended to include gay and transgender workers.
Justice Gorsuch stated that it was indeed the case
The author stated that when an employer terminates an employee for being homosexual or transgender, they are essentially firing them for characteristics or behaviors that they would not have had an issue with if the employee belonged to a different gender.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. disagreed with the argument, stating that it was incredibly arrogant. He also mentioned that there was no evidence to suggest that any member of Congress understood the law in that way when it was passed in 1964.
The law mentioned banned discrimination in the workplace based on gender. However, the current case being debated focuses on the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, which is broadly written and sets out a framework for analysis rather than specific rules. Justice Alito suggested that the outcome of this case could influence future constitutional cases.
Adam Liptak is a journalist who reports on the activities of the Supreme Court and writes a column called Sidebar, which focuses on legal news. He attended Yale Law School and worked as a lawyer for 14 years before starting his career at The New York Times in 2002.
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