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In 2020, a significant ruling was made in favor of transgender employees, setting an important legal precedent.
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 law protecting civil rights extends to gay and transgender employees, safeguarding them from 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 against the law for an employer to terminate someone based solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and the court’s four-member liberal wing also supported this decision.
The majority opinion and two dissents together totaled 168 pages. President Donald J. Trump told reporters that he accepted the ruling after reading it, acknowledging that some were surprised by it but that he respected and would abide by the decision. He also praised it as a significant and impactful ruling.
The justices were tasked with interpreting 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 this prohibition against discrimination "because of sex" extended to include gay and transgender workers, affecting potentially millions of individuals.
Justice Gorsuch stated that it was indeed the case
The author stated that when an employer fires someone for being homosexual or transgender, they are essentially firing them for qualities or behaviors that would not be an issue if the individual belonged to a different gender.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. disagreed with the argument, stating that the claim was incredibly arrogant. He also pointed out that there is no proof that any member of Congress understood the law in that way when it was passed in 1964.
The law that was discussed banned discrimination in the workplace based on gender. The case being debated now focuses on the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, which sets up a framework for analysis rather than specific rules. Justice Alito mentioned in 2020 that the court’s ruling in this case could influence other constitutional cases.
Adam Liptak is a journalist who specializes in covering 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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