ABOVE: Arguments are heard at the Supreme Court. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Washington, D.C. | The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled 6-3 June 15 that LGBTQ Americans are protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
SCOTUS heard arguments Oct. 8, 2019 in three cases, each debating whether anti-LGBTQ discrimination is prohibited under federal civil rights law. They released their opinions during Pride Month 2020.
Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the opinion of the Court in which Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.
The three cases are Zarda v. Altitude Express and Bostock v. Clayton County, which seek resolution on whether anti-gay discrimination is illegal under Title VII, and EEOC v. Harris Funeral Homes, which seeks resolution on whether anti-trans discrimination is illegal under the law. Aimee Stephens, the transgender woman at the center of the case, died May 12 ahead of its resolution.
The court ruled that an employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
#BREAKING: WIN!
Supreme Court just ruled that firing someone for being LGBTQ is a VIOLATION of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act!
WE DID IT Y'ALL! #DecisionDay
Read opinion here:https://t.co/I8kqLV3gcN pic.twitter.com/HITXCwLg55— Lambda Legal (@LambdaLegal) June 15, 2020
This is a breaking news story and Watermark will update this page and expand our coverage as more information becomes available.
