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In 2020, a significant ruling was made to protect the rights of transgender workers, setting an important legal precedent.
The highest court in the United States has only made one significant ruling regarding the rights of transgender individuals, which was in the case of Bostock v.
The decision made in 2020 confirmed that a significant civil rights law safeguards gay and transgender employees from discrimination in the workplace.
Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump and is part of the conservative majority on the court, stated that it is illegal for an employer to fire someone simply because they are gay or transgender. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and the four liberal justices on the court also agreed with this ruling.
The ruling, which consisted of a majority opinion and two dissents, was spread out over 168 pages. President Donald J. Trump told reporters that he acknowledged the decision and accepted it. He mentioned that although some people were surprised by the ruling, he respected their decision and would abide by it. Trump also described the ruling as a strong and impactful 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 had to determine if this prohibition against discrimination based on sex also extended to gay and transgender employees.
Justice Gorsuch stated that it was indeed the case
The writer stated that when an employer dismisses someone for being homosexual or transgender, they are essentially firing them for qualities or behaviors that they would not have had an issue with if the person was a different gender.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. expressed disagreement by stating that the argument presented was extremely arrogant. He also mentioned that there was no evidence to suggest that any member of Congress understood the statutory text in that manner when the law was passed in 1964.
The law mentioned in the text made it illegal to discriminate against employees based on their gender. The case being discussed now focuses on the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, which is more broad and provides a framework for analysis instead of specific rules. Justice Alito mentioned in 2020 that the court’s decision in this case could influence future constitutional cases.
Adam Liptak is a journalist who specializes in covering the Supreme Court and writing about legal news in his column called Sidebar. He attended Yale Law School and worked as a lawyer for 14 years before starting at The Times in 2002. Learn more about Adam Liptak.
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