Thursday, August 4, 2016

Supreme Court Blocks Order Allowing Transgender Student Restroom Choice

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily blocked a court order that had allowed a transgender boy to use the boys' bathroom in a Virginia high school.

The vote was 5-3, with Justice Stephen G. Breyer joining the court's more conservative members "as a courtesy." He said that this would preserve the status quo until the court decided whether to hear the case. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented.

The court's order has no effect on any other case.

The move came amid a national debate over transgender rights. A North Carolina law that requires transgender people to use bathrooms in government buildings that correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificates has drawn protests, boycotts and lawsuits. A directive from the Obama administration threatening schools with the loss of federal money for discrimination based on gender identity has been challenged in court by more than 20 states.

Read more from the NY Times here.

No comments: