Supreme Court decides LGBTQ people are protected from job discrimination in landmark ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, has ruled that LGBTQ Americans can sue for workplace bias.
In the decision, the High Court ruled that federal anti-discrimination laws apply to LGBTQ workers. The opinion was written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, and was joined by the liberal minority on the Court to Chief Justice John Roberts.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Supreme Court rules gay and lesbian people can sue for workplace bias under landmark civil rights law— Steve Peoples (@Steve Peoples) 1592230129
According to NBC News reporter Pete Williams, this was a “surprising” decision in light of how much the Court has moved to the right.
“The decision said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, among other factors, also covers sexual orientation,” Williams explained. “It upheld rulings from lower courts that said sexual orientation discrimination was a form of sex discrimination.”
Richard Wolf, who reports on Supreme Court matters for USA Today, described the ruling as a major victory for LGBTQ Americans.
This is the money paragraph from the Supreme Court as to why LBGTQ discrimination is unlawful sex discrimination. https://t.co/zOqeau9tWF— Anthony Michael Kreis (@Anthony Michael Kreis) 1592230127
BREAKING: LGBTQ workers win big at Supreme Court in 6-3 opinion giving them protection from employment discriminati… https://t.co/TuM0fItvE5— Richard Wolf (@Richard Wolf) 1592229921
SUPREME COURT — "Held: An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII [… https://t.co/SXnrRsoLgy— Sahil Kapur (@Sahil Kapur) 1592230319
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin weighed in on the historic decision. Watch the video below.
