The U.S. Supreme Court issued several significant opinions today in high profile cases pending or pending review before the court.
Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, ruled that an employer who fires an employee for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The decision involved three similar cases where employees were fired after their employer discovered they were gay or transgender. The majority opinion was written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, a conservative on the court.
Petitions for Review:
The Supreme Court on Monday, June 15, 2020 also issued an order approving or denying review in several cases. The Court accepted a case involving arbitration carveout language. The Justices denied review in 10 cases regarding the Second Amendment and Gun Rights. Some of the concurring and dissenting voices on the court did encourage the Court to take up a Second Amendment case “soon.” The Court also denied review in a case brought by the Trump administration challenging California’s Sanctuary law. The lower court case in the 9th Circuit which held that federal immigration authorities cannot commandeer state resources for immigration enforcement will remain in place. Although qualified immunity of police officers has been a hot topic in the news recently, the Court also denied review in more than a half dozen cases involving qualified immunity for police officers and other public officials.