The Supreme Court just declined to hear a major trans rights case—thanks to Trump

By Rafi Schwartz  |  March 6, 2017 | 3:28pm
Latest

The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would not hear a major transgender rights case this month, as it had initially planned to do. Instead, the Court will send the case back to the lower courts to re-adjudicate in light of President Trump’s revised policies stripping transgender students of Obama-era protections in public schools.

In October, the Supreme Court had announced plans to hear Gloucester County School Board v Gavin Grimm. Grimm, who is transgender, had been barred from the men’s bathroom in his Virginia high school. Had the case been heard in the Supreme Court, it would have been the Court’s first direct foray into the area of transgender rights.

Grimm’s case gained widespread public recognition after transgender activist and actress Laverne Cox spoke out about the lawsuit during the Grammy Awards in early February.

Now, in light of Trump’s rollback of President Obama’s directive to allow trans students access to the restroom that aligns with their gender identity in public schools, the Supreme Court will leave it to the lower courts—which had initially sided with Grimm—to review their initial decision.

While the court’s decision is a disappointing one for LGBTQ advocates, the New York Times points out that there are still a number of other trans-rights cases scheduled for this coming session, including one that will deal with North Carolina’s controversial House Bill Two.

 
Join the discussion...