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A significant ruling in 2020 set a precedent in support of transgender workers.
The Supreme Court has made a significant ruling on transgender rights in the case of Bostock v. Clayton County.
In 2020, a significant court decision determined that a well-known civil rights law safeguards gay and transgender employees from facing discrimination in the workplace.
Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, who was appointed by President Trump, stated in a 6-3 ruling that it is against the law for an employer to dismiss someone solely for being gay or transgender. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and four liberal members of the court also agreed with this decision.
The ruling, which consisted of a majority opinion and two dissents, was a lengthy document totaling 168 pages. President Donald J. Trump commented to reporters that he acknowledged and accepted the ruling. He mentioned that although some people were surprised by the decision, he respected it and would abide by it. Trump also described the ruling as a strong and impactful decision.
The issue facing the judges was interpreting 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 determine if this law also extended to protecting gay and transgender employees from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Justice Gorsuch stated in his writing that the action
The writer stated that when an employer fires someone for being homosexual or transgender, they are essentially firing them for characteristics or behaviors that would not have been an issue if they were a different gender.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. disagreed with the argument, stating that it was extremely arrogant. He also noted that there was no evidence to suggest that any member of Congress understood the statutory text in that way when the law was passed in 1964.
The law in question made it illegal to discriminate in the workplace based on someone’s sex. The case being discussed on Wednesday, however, deals with the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, which is more broadly written and is seen as providing a framework for analysis rather than clear-cut rules. Despite this, Justice Alito pointed out 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 covering the Supreme Court and writes a column called Sidebar about legal news. He attended Yale Law School and worked as a lawyer for 14 years before starting at The New York Times in 2002.
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