Case Citation
Legal Case Name

Bostock v. Clayton County Case Brief

Supreme Court of the United States2020Docket #17248924
140 S. Ct. 1731 207 L. Ed. 2d 218 Employment Discrimination Law Statutory Interpretation Constitutional Law

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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis

General Brief
4 min read

tl;dr: The Supreme Court held that firing an employee for being homosexual or transgender constitutes discrimination “because of sex” under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as such a decision necessarily considers the employee’s sex.

Legal Significance: This landmark decision extended Title VII’s protections to millions of LGBTQ+ workers by holding that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is a form of sex discrimination, grounding a major civil rights expansion in a textualist interpretation of existing law.

Bostock v. Clayton County Law School Study Guide

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Case Facts & Court Holding

Key Facts & Case Background

The case consolidated three separate lawsuits. Gerald Bostock was fired from his job as a child welfare advocate for Clayton County, Georgia, shortly after he began participating in a gay recreational softball league. Donald Zarda was fired from his job as a skydiving instructor after mentioning he was gay. Aimee Stephens was fired from a funeral home after she informed her employer that she was transgender and planned to live and work as a woman. In each case, the employer did not dispute that the employee’s homosexuality or transgender status was the reason for the termination. The employees sued under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, alleging discrimination “because of… sex.” The Second and Sixth Circuits ruled in favor of the employees, while the Eleventh Circuit ruled for the employer, creating a circuit split. The Supreme Court granted certiorari to resolve whether Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination encompasses discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Court Holding & Legal Precedent

Issue: Does terminating an employee for being homosexual or transgender constitute discrimination “because of such individual’s sex” in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

Yes. An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

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IRAC Legal Analysis

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Legal Issue

Does terminating an employee for being homosexual or transgender constitute discrimination “because of such individual’s sex” in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

Conclusion

The decision in *Bostock* established that Title VII's prohibition on sex discrimination Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea co

Legal Rule

An employer violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in

Legal Analysis

Writing for the majority, Justice Gorsuch employed a textualist analysis, focusing on Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in vol

Flash-to-Full Case Opinions

Flash Summary

  • Holding: Title VII’s prohibition on employment discrimination “because of … sex”
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui of

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