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Other => Off Topic => Topic started by: Sailor Sam on June 15, 2020, 11:51:43 AM

Title: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Sailor Sam on June 15, 2020, 11:51:43 AM
Well, I got to see DOMA fall, and DADT fall, and now Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Today is a good day.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: bacchi on June 15, 2020, 11:56:04 AM
And it was a 6-3 decision. Gorsuch? Who woulda thunk? In some parts, his decision almost sounded like "Ok, boomer" to Alito's spitting mad dissent.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: ctuser1 on June 15, 2020, 12:13:38 PM
Now, someone convince Roberts and Gorusch to apply the same "textual" logic to Citizens and Heller - and I think American's can start to regain their confidence again on the SCOTUS.

It is heartening, however, that a couple of self-identified conservatives (Gorusch and Roberts) stuck with their stated principles for once and did not try to legislate from the bench on this case.

I wish and hope this is the turning point when "conservatives" decide to actually follow the principles they shout so loudly about. It will be a turning point, if so.

Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: wenchsenior on June 15, 2020, 12:37:34 PM
Well, I got to see DOMA fall, and DADT fall, and now Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Today is a good day.

Today is a damn good day, and there haven't been many of those lately, so I am really enjoying it.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: sherr on June 15, 2020, 01:25:04 PM
Now, someone convince Roberts and Gorusch to apply the same "textual" logic to Citizens and Heller - and I think American's can start to regain their confidence again on the SCOTUS.

It is heartening, however, that a couple of self-identified conservatives (Gorusch and Roberts) stuck with their stated principles for once and did not try to legislate from the bench on this case.

I wish and hope this is the turning point when "conservatives" decide to actually follow the principles they shout so loudly about. It will be a turning point, if so.

As much as I am also cautiously optimistic about the precedent this sets, keep in mind that this particular ship had already sailed. According to a poll in the NYT 82% of the county, including 75% of Republicans, thought that it should be illegal to fire someone just because they're gay.

It's still entirely possible that they're ultra-partisans who are smart enough to recognize a lost cause when they see one.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: GuitarStv on June 15, 2020, 03:53:06 PM
How does this ruling work with Trump's ban on trans people in the military?
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Chris22 on June 15, 2020, 04:39:32 PM
How does this ruling work with Trump's ban on trans people in the military?

The military is not bound by the same rules as private industry and other government roles. Military isn’t ADA compliant for instance.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: SailingOnASmallSailboat on June 15, 2020, 04:39:54 PM
Well, I got to see DOMA fall, and DADT fall, and now Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Today is a good day.

Today is a damn good day, and there haven't been many of those lately, so I am really enjoying it.

Agree 100%.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: js82 on June 15, 2020, 04:47:03 PM
And it was a 6-3 decision. Gorsuch? Who woulda thunk? In some parts, his decision almost sounded like "Ok, boomer" to Alito's spitting mad dissent.

Gorsuch's logic in this case was extremely straightforward - and refreshing, in this case.

You can't fire a woman for having sexual relations with a woman, if you wouldn't fire a man for having sexual relations with a woman.  Difficult to argue against when you put it that way.

I view Gorsuch very differently than I do Kavanaugh - Gorsuch is very conservative on many issues, but from what I can tell his views are usually authentic beliefs rather than attempts to twist the law to fit a partisan agenda.  On the other hand, Kavanaugh spent a large part of his career as partisan operative, figuring out how to manipulate the law to advance partisan causes.  As such, what you get from Kavanaugh should be little surprise.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Kris on June 15, 2020, 04:57:43 PM
And it was a 6-3 decision. Gorsuch? Who woulda thunk? In some parts, his decision almost sounded like "Ok, boomer" to Alito's spitting mad dissent.

Gorsuch's logic in this case was extremely straightforward - and refreshing, in this case.

You can't fire a woman for having sexual relations with a woman, if you wouldn't fire a man for having sexual relations with a woman.  Difficult to argue against when you put it that way.

I view Gorsuch very differently than I do Kavanaugh - Gorsuch is very conservative on a many issues, but from what I can tell his views are usually authentic beliefs rather than attempts to twist the law to fit a partisan agenda.  On the other hand, Kavanaugh spent a large part of his career as partisan operative, figuring out how to manipulate the law to advance partisan causes.  As such, what you get from Kavanaugh should be little surprise.

Completely agree. Though it is absolutely abhorrent that McConnell blocked Obama’s pick for SC Merrick Garland out of pure political malevolence, Gorsuch himself is a qualified person who is imminently qualified to be on the Court.

Kavanaugh, on the other hand, demeans the court in the same way that Trump demeans the presidency.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Sibley on June 15, 2020, 05:31:35 PM
What I wonder is what impact, if any, this ruling will have on Tump's reversal of trans medical access (probably butchering the phrasing there, don't shoot me). I would think it would be awfully hard to argue that you can't fire someone for being gay/trans, but you can deny them medical care.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Travis on June 15, 2020, 05:42:59 PM
What I wonder is what impact, if any, this ruling will have on Tump's reversal of trans medical access (probably butchering the phrasing there, don't shoot me). I would think it would be awfully hard to argue that you can't fire someone for being gay/trans, but you can deny them medical care.

Precedent for when Trump's latest act gets sent to the Court.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: jim555 on June 16, 2020, 05:47:32 AM
Quite surprising ruling.  They threw out original intent and went with flexibility in interpretation.  These justices are not as conservative as everyone thought, they are "legislating from the bench".

I think Congress should change the law to reflect changes of the times, the word "sex" refers to something different in 1964 then how they are interpreting it today by the Court.  I think it is up to the political process to make the change in the law.  Congress should revisit the law and clarify what the word means in specific terms today.  The Court has created new law and sidestepped Congress, but I guess Congress can come back to the issue if they want to.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: ctuser1 on June 16, 2020, 07:12:03 AM
Quite surprising ruling.  They threw out original intent and went with flexibility in interpretation.  These justices are not as conservative as everyone thought, they are "legislating from the bench".

I think Congress should change the law to reflect changes of the times, the word "sex" refers to something different in 1964 then how they are interpreting it today by the Court.  I think it is up to the political process to make the change in the law.  Congress should revisit the law and clarify what the word means in specific terms today.  The Court has created new law and sidestepped Congress, but I guess Congress can come back to the issue if they want to.

Can you determine if someone is "homosexual" without any reference to their "sex", even as understood in 1964?
In logic this is called implication. If you can't discriminate based on "sex", then you can't discriminate based on anything that depends on "sex".

The fact that a self-proclaimed conservative is ABLE TO not be a hypocrite, at least in one instance here, is a huge revelation, and the actual surprise for me.

If you want to see legislating from bench - look up Citizens United. Money = Speech, apparently!!
And Heller, "militia" definitely means every other deranged redneck. Why? Because justice Scalia fancied so, which of course overturns 200+ years of jurisprudence!!

Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: sherr on June 16, 2020, 07:46:50 AM
Quite surprising ruling.  They threw out original intent and went with flexibility in interpretation.  These justices are not as conservative as everyone thought, they are "legislating from the bench".

I think Congress should change the law to reflect changes of the times, the word "sex" refers to something different in 1964 then how they are interpreting it today by the Court.  I think it is up to the political process to make the change in the law.  Congress should revisit the law and clarify what the word means in specific terms today.  The Court has created new law and sidestepped Congress, but I guess Congress can come back to the issue if they want to.

Gorsuch himself only claims to be an "originalist" when it comes to the constitution. When it comes to regular statutory laws he is a "textualist", where only the text of the law matters, not the original intent. Don't ask me how he justifies applying one interpretive method to one bit of law and a different one to another bit of law.

Gorsuch himself addresses your complaint in the opinion. "It probably wasn't the original intent in 1964 for 'sex' to include discrimination by family status either, yet SCOTUS has already decided that was an inherent part of it. Or even probably sexual harassment against men. It doesn't matter, the law says what it says and it says you can't discriminate based on sex, and it's impossible to define discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in a way that doesn't revolve entirely around sex." (paraphrased)

Secondly, show me a true "originalist" and I'll start believing that it's a legitimate judicial philosophy. Originallists always apply originalism when they want to, and don't when they don't. It's just an excuse.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Samuel on June 16, 2020, 08:49:37 AM
If you want to see legislating from bench - look up Citizens United. Money = Speech, apparently!!
And Heller, "militia" definitely means every other deranged redneck. Why? Because justice Scalia fancied so, which of course overturns 200+ years of jurisprudence!!

Or Roe v. Wade, or Brown v. Board of Education. It goes both ways.

But yes, good day.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: GuitarStv on June 16, 2020, 08:58:15 AM
If you want to see legislating from bench - look up Citizens United. Money = Speech, apparently!!
And Heller, "militia" definitely means every other deranged redneck. Why? Because justice Scalia fancied so, which of course overturns 200+ years of jurisprudence!!

Or Roe v. Wade, or Brown v. Board of Education. It goes both ways.

But yes, good day.

No it doesn't go both ways.  In popular parlance, 'legislating from the bench' only applies to decisions that conservatives don't like.  They usually call things they agree with 'strict constitutionalism', regardless of the text of the constitution or the interpretation being made.  It's all part of the Republican rewriting of reality . . . where truth and fact take a backseat to what you (as a conservative) feel ought to be.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: ctuser1 on June 16, 2020, 08:58:23 AM
If you want to see legislating from bench - look up Citizens United. Money = Speech, apparently!!
And Heller, "militia" definitely means every other deranged redneck. Why? Because justice Scalia fancied so, which of course overturns 200+ years of jurisprudence!!

Or Roe v. Wade, or Brown v. Board of Education. It goes both ways.

Agreed!!

Ideally, ALL of them should be for the congress to decide, preferably after they are locked in capitol with a 7-day supply of food and water.

If you see the real world implication, however, I doubt the liberal "legislation from bench" really achieved as much as the conservative ones did. Schools are still very segregated everywhere I look. Roe v. Wade was a major gain - but should really have been decided by the congress and not the courts.

Conservatives, however, got almost entire constitution re-written for them. Think how many school-children die due to Heller, or how much the democracy is affected due to Citizens, or a President legislated in after losing the popular vote. You can go on and on and on...

I don't particularly consider myself "liberal". But the barrage of conservative legislation from the bench for the past 30 years or so is decidedly anti-American, per my worldview.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Samuel on June 16, 2020, 09:12:46 AM
If you want to see legislating from bench - look up Citizens United. Money = Speech, apparently!!
And Heller, "militia" definitely means every other deranged redneck. Why? Because justice Scalia fancied so, which of course overturns 200+ years of jurisprudence!!

Or Roe v. Wade, or Brown v. Board of Education. It goes both ways.

Agreed!!

Ideally, ALL of them should be for the congress to decide, preferably after they are locked in capitol with a 7-day supply of food and water.

If you see the real world implication, however, I doubt the liberal "legislation from bench" really achieved as much as the conservative ones did. Schools are still very segregated everywhere I look. Roe v. Wade was a major gain - but should really have been decided by the congress and not the courts.

Conservatives, however, got almost entire constitution re-written for them. Think how many school-children die due to Heller, or how much the democracy is affected due to Citizens, or a President legislated in after losing the popular vote. You can go on and on and on...

I don't particularly consider myself "liberal". But the barrage of conservative legislation from the bench for the past 30 years or so is decidedly anti-American, per my worldview.

Sounds like Kananaugh would agree with you. From his dissenting opinion:

Notwithstanding my concern about the Court's transgression of the Constitution's separation of powers, it is appropriate to acknowledge the important victory achieved today by gay and lesbian Americans. Millions of gay and lesbian Americans have worked hard for many decades to achieve equal treatment in fact and in law. They have exhibited extraordinary vision, tenacity, and grit—battling often steep odds in the legislative and judicial arenas, not to mention in their daily lives. They have advanced powerful policy arguments and can take pride in today's result. Under the Constitution's separation of powers, however, I believe that it was Congress's role, not this Court's, to amend Title VII. I therefore must respectfully dissent from the Court's judgment.


Perhaps it's empty words for PR, perhaps not. I guess we'll get to gauge his consistency as he is involved in more rulings.

Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: ctuser1 on June 16, 2020, 09:20:06 AM
If you want to see legislating from bench - look up Citizens United. Money = Speech, apparently!!
And Heller, "militia" definitely means every other deranged redneck. Why? Because justice Scalia fancied so, which of course overturns 200+ years of jurisprudence!!

Or Roe v. Wade, or Brown v. Board of Education. It goes both ways.

Agreed!!

Ideally, ALL of them should be for the congress to decide, preferably after they are locked in capitol with a 7-day supply of food and water.

If you see the real world implication, however, I doubt the liberal "legislation from bench" really achieved as much as the conservative ones did. Schools are still very segregated everywhere I look. Roe v. Wade was a major gain - but should really have been decided by the congress and not the courts.

Conservatives, however, got almost entire constitution re-written for them. Think how many school-children die due to Heller, or how much the democracy is affected due to Citizens, or a President legislated in after losing the popular vote. You can go on and on and on...

I don't particularly consider myself "liberal". But the barrage of conservative legislation from the bench for the past 30 years or so is decidedly anti-American, per my worldview.

Sounds like Kananaugh would agree with you. From his dissenting opinion:

Notwithstanding my concern about the Court's transgression of the Constitution's separation of powers, it is appropriate to acknowledge the important victory achieved today by gay and lesbian Americans. Millions of gay and lesbian Americans have worked hard for many decades to achieve equal treatment in fact and in law. They have exhibited extraordinary vision, tenacity, and grit—battling often steep odds in the legislative and judicial arenas, not to mention in their daily lives. They have advanced powerful policy arguments and can take pride in today's result. Under the Constitution's separation of powers, however, I believe that it was Congress's role, not this Court's, to amend Title VII. I therefore must respectfully dissent from the Court's judgment.


Perhaps it's empty words for PR, perhaps not. I guess we'll get to gauge his consistency as he is involved in more rulings.

No. Kavannaugh ignored the textual meaning of the word "sex" in this case.

Without knowing "sex" you can't decide whether someone is homosexual or not. So the congress has already decided the matter, by implication, back in 1968.

So Kavannaugh's opinion still fits the typical "conservative" modus-operandi of blatant hypocrisy.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Samuel on June 16, 2020, 09:20:33 AM
If you want to see legislating from bench - look up Citizens United. Money = Speech, apparently!!
And Heller, "militia" definitely means every other deranged redneck. Why? Because justice Scalia fancied so, which of course overturns 200+ years of jurisprudence!!

Or Roe v. Wade, or Brown v. Board of Education. It goes both ways.

But yes, good day.

No it doesn't go both ways.  In popular parlance, 'legislating from the bench' only applies to decisions that conservatives don't like.  They usually call things they agree with 'strict constitutionalism', regardless of the text of the constitution or the interpretation being made.  It's all part of the Republican rewriting of reality . . . where truth and fact take a backseat to what you (as a conservative) feel ought to be.

That definitely happens on both sides. Perhaps 5% of the country is qualified to have an actual legal opinion on these rulings, the rest of us (including myself here) tend to applaud the outcomes we feel are right and decry the others.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: sherr on June 16, 2020, 09:27:29 AM
If you want to see legislating from bench - look up Citizens United. Money = Speech, apparently!!
And Heller, "militia" definitely means every other deranged redneck. Why? Because justice Scalia fancied so, which of course overturns 200+ years of jurisprudence!!

Or Roe v. Wade, or Brown v. Board of Education. It goes both ways.

But yes, good day.

No it doesn't go both ways.  In popular parlance, 'legislating from the bench' only applies to decisions that conservatives don't like.  They usually call things they agree with 'strict constitutionalism', regardless of the text of the constitution or the interpretation being made.  It's all part of the Republican rewriting of reality . . . where truth and fact take a backseat to what you (as a conservative) feel ought to be.

That definitely happens on both sides. Perhaps 5% of the country is qualified to have an actual legal opinion on these rulings, the rest of us (including myself here) tend to applaud the outcomes we feel are right and decry the others.

Right, but the difference is that conservatives claim that they're "originalists" and that all outcomes that favor what they want are "the original intent" and that every outcome that doesn't is "legislating from the bench". You don't see any similar claims coming from the left. That's why it's hypocritical when the right complains about "bad outcomes", and it's not hypocritical when the left complains about "bad outcomes".

Quote
Those with principled conservative approaches to law should be pleased, those whose conservatism pertains principally to social policy and not law will be outraged. They are merely results oriented, and will blithely abandon all their announced legal principles to achieve desired results.
- Mary Anne Case, Law Professor at Chicago University
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: GuitarStv on June 16, 2020, 09:44:13 AM
If you want to see legislating from bench - look up Citizens United. Money = Speech, apparently!!
And Heller, "militia" definitely means every other deranged redneck. Why? Because justice Scalia fancied so, which of course overturns 200+ years of jurisprudence!!

Or Roe v. Wade, or Brown v. Board of Education. It goes both ways.

But yes, good day.

No it doesn't go both ways.  In popular parlance, 'legislating from the bench' only applies to decisions that conservatives don't like.  They usually call things they agree with 'strict constitutionalism', regardless of the text of the constitution or the interpretation being made.  It's all part of the Republican rewriting of reality . . . where truth and fact take a backseat to what you (as a conservative) feel ought to be.

That definitely happens on both sides. Perhaps 5% of the country is qualified to have an actual legal opinion on these rulings, the rest of us (including myself here) tend to applaud the outcomes we feel are right and decry the others.

Right, but the difference is that conservatives claim that they're "originalists" and that all outcomes that favor what they want are "the original intent" and that every outcome that doesn't is "legislating from the bench". You don't see any similar claims coming from the left. That's why it's hypocritical when the right complains about "bad outcomes", and it's not hypocritical when the left complains about "bad outcomes".

Quote
Those with principled conservative approaches to law should be pleased, those whose conservatism pertains principally to social policy and not law will be outraged. They are merely results oriented, and will blithely abandon all their announced legal principles to achieve desired results.
- Mary Anne Case, Law Professor at Chicago University

Yep.  This is the source of the almost sexual enjoyment many conservatives seem to find from caressing their pocket constitution comes from.  In their eyes, the constitution is a document that only affirms Republican world view.  Any interpretation that breaks from that is unconstitutional.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: John Galt incarnate! on June 16, 2020, 10:00:44 AM


No it doesn't go both ways.  In popular parlance, 'legislating from the bench' only applies to decisions that conservatives don't like. 

 "An activist court is a court that makes a decision you don't like." Justice Kennedy
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: jeninco on June 16, 2020, 12:09:20 PM
To go back to the point of the thread that many of you hijacked:

Yippee! Congrats to Sam, and to the others who've lived with the fear of being fired for being who they are for far, far too long!
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: sherr on June 16, 2020, 12:11:41 PM
To go back to the point of the thread that many of you hijacked:

Yippee! Congrats to Sam, and to the others who've lived with the fear of being fired for being who they are for far, far too long!

Completely agree, and I apologize for my part in hijacking the thread. LGBT rights are human rights, and a fairer society is a society that is better for everyone.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: jim555 on June 16, 2020, 12:15:59 PM
If Congress wants to update the law fine, but the courts are creating law in this case, and it isn't a rights question, it is a statutory law question, and that falls in the realm of Congresses authority.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: sherr on June 16, 2020, 12:20:41 PM
If Congress wants to update the law fine, but the courts are creating law in this case, and it isn't a rights question, it is a statutory law question, and that falls in the realm of Congresses authority.

Quite surprising ruling.  They threw out original intent and went with flexibility in interpretation.  These justices are not as conservative as everyone thought, they are "legislating from the bench".

I think Congress should change the law to reflect changes of the times, the word "sex" refers to something different in 1964 then how they are interpreting it today by the Court.  I think it is up to the political process to make the change in the law.  Congress should revisit the law and clarify what the word means in specific terms today.  The Court has created new law and sidestepped Congress, but I guess Congress can come back to the issue if they want to.

Gorsuch himself only claims to be an "originalist" when it comes to the constitution. When it comes to regular statutory laws he is a "textualist", where only the text of the law matters, not the original intent. Don't ask me how he justifies applying one interpretive method to one bit of law and a different one to another bit of law.

Gorsuch himself addresses your complaint in the opinion. "It probably wasn't the original intent in 1964 for 'sex' to include discrimination by family status either, yet SCOTUS has already decided that was an inherent part of it. Or even probably sexual harassment against men. It doesn't matter, the law says what it says and it says you can't discriminate based on sex, and it's impossible to define discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in a way that doesn't revolve entirely around sex." (paraphrased)

Secondly, show me a true "originalist" and I'll start believing that it's a legitimate judicial philosophy. Originallists always apply originalism when they want to, and don't when they don't. It's just an excuse.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: GuitarStv on June 16, 2020, 12:22:32 PM
To go back to the point of the thread that many of you hijacked:

Yippee! Congrats to Sam, and to the others who've lived with the fear of being fired for being who they are for far, far too long!

Completely agree, and I apologize for my part in hijacking the thread. LGBT rights are human rights, and a fairer society is a society that is better for everyone.

+1

It's nice that LGBT people no longer have to fear being fired for who they are.  This is an important human right.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: jim555 on June 16, 2020, 12:26:24 PM
+1

It's nice that LGBT people no longer have to fear being fired for who they are.  This is an important human right.
Congress could write a new law today stating the 1964 interpretation is what we meant, not the revised view of the SC.  This isn't a rights case, as far as US law is concerned.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: jeninco on June 16, 2020, 12:48:21 PM
+1

It's nice that LGBT people no longer have to fear being fired for who they are.  This is an important human right.
Congress could write a new law today stating the 1964 interpretation is what we meant, not the revised view of the SC.  This isn't a rights case, as far as US law is concerned.

I betcha it sure as shit looks like a rights ruling for the significant number of non-cisgendered people who have been hiding their own selves at work for the last ... entire lifetime or so ...  in the hopes that they won't be fired for who they are.

Not to mention all the non-cisgendered people who have been fired (or threatened with being fired) for not hiding their identity sufficiently.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: sherr on June 16, 2020, 12:49:11 PM
Congress could write a new law today stating the 1964 interpretation is what we meant, not the revised view of the SC.

They could, yes. Thankfully now they don't need to.

This isn't a rights case, as far as US law is concerned.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: jim555 on June 16, 2020, 12:53:02 PM
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Those "Civil Rights" are not Constitutional rights and can be changed by political process.  That is my point.  Certain rights, like free speech, can't be changed by a simple change of the law.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: GuitarStv on June 16, 2020, 02:14:51 PM
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Those "Civil Rights" are not Constitutional rights and can be changed by political process.  That is my point.  Certain rights, like free speech, can't be changed by a simple change of the law.

As written in the constitution at this time, women do not have equal rights.  Have the courts been wrong to treat women as equals in the US for all this time?
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Sailor Sam on June 16, 2020, 02:43:13 PM
Sometimes, I ponder the idea that this whole debate over LGBTQ+ rights would be vastly improved by the appearance of a forehead mark on all individuals who’ve indulged in any sort of butt sex.

I think it would really strip away a lot of hypocrisy...
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: js82 on June 16, 2020, 04:05:33 PM
If Congress wants to update the law fine, but the courts are creating law in this case, and it isn't a rights question, it is a statutory law question, and that falls in the realm of Congresses authority.

Except the courts aren't "creating law".

Read Gorsuch's decision.  He essentially puts it as follows: If you fire a woman for doing something you wouldn't fire a man for(or vice versa), that's discrimination on the basis of sex.  And it's fundamentally true.  And to put it bluntly, there's no gay sex exemption written into the law - so it's not legitimate to claim that only certain types of conduct were protected.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Kris on June 16, 2020, 04:15:05 PM
Sometimes, I ponder the idea that this whole debate over LGBTQ+ rights would be vastly improved by the appearance of a forehead mark on all individuals who’ve indulged in any sort of butt sex.

I think it would really strip away a lot of hypocrisy...

Yep.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: jeninco on June 16, 2020, 04:23:32 PM
Sometimes, I ponder the idea that this whole debate over LGBTQ+ rights would be vastly improved by the appearance of a forehead mark on all individuals who’ve indulged in any sort of butt sex.

I think it would really strip away a lot of hypocrisy...

Yep.

Or fantasized or watched porn about it. Or had oral sex, ever.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: John Galt incarnate! on June 16, 2020, 04:42:02 PM
In particular, this decision  is consonant with the  value of dignity expressed by Justice Kennedy in Lawrence and Obergefell.  Inescapably, the decision  coheres with and is part of the  more general "rational continuum" of "liberty" set forth by Justice Harlan in his dissent in Poe.

Here is part of Justice Harlan's incisive dissent as to the meaning of  "liberty."


Poe v. Ullman (1961)


This "liberty" is not a series of isolated points pricked out in terms of the taking of property; the freedom of speech, press, and religion; the right to keep and bear arms; the freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures; and so on.

It is a rational continuum which, broadly speaking, includes a freedom from all substantial arbitrary impositions and purposeless restraints,...and which also recognizes, what a reasonable and sensitive judgment must, that certain interests require particularly careful scrutiny of the state needs asserted to justify their abridgment.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Sailor Sam on June 18, 2020, 05:06:03 AM
Sometimes, I ponder the idea that this whole debate over LGBTQ+ rights would be vastly improved by the appearance of a forehead mark on all individuals who’ve indulged in any sort of butt sex.

I think it would really strip away a lot of hypocrisy...

Yep.

Or fantasized or watched porn about it. Or had oral sex, ever.

Whoop! One ‘lil post about butt sex, and the thread falls silent. Anyone else find that pretty amusing?
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: GuitarStv on June 18, 2020, 08:11:07 AM
What does oral or butt sex have to do with being LGBTQ?  These are pretty normal straight activities to partake in, are they not?
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: jim555 on June 18, 2020, 08:24:08 AM
Whoop! One ‘lil post about butt sex, and the thread falls silent. Anyone else find that pretty amusing?
When the other side has to resort to "butt sex" they are out of logic and have lost, no point in going further.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Kris on June 18, 2020, 09:12:54 AM
What does oral or butt sex have to do with being LGBTQ?  These are pretty normal straight activities to partake in, are they not?

Many homophobes think those activities are indicators of closet gay-ness.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: bacchi on June 18, 2020, 09:28:21 AM
Whoop! One ‘lil post about butt sex, and the thread falls silent. Anyone else find that pretty amusing?
When the other side has to resort to "butt sex" they are out of logic and have lost, no point in going further.

There were replies to your post that didn't mention but sex.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: bacchi on June 18, 2020, 09:31:34 AM
If Congress wants to update the law fine, but the courts are creating law in this case, and it isn't a rights question, it is a statutory law question, and that falls in the realm of Congresses authority.

Except the courts aren't "creating law".

Read Gorsuch's decision.  He essentially puts it as follows: If you fire a woman for doing something you wouldn't fire a man for(or vice versa), that's discrimination on the basis of sex.  And it's fundamentally true.  And to put it bluntly, there's no gay sex exemption written into the law - so it's not legitimate to claim that only certain types of conduct were protected.

The evangelicals and conservatives thought that textualism would solely help their pet causes.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Sailor Sam on June 18, 2020, 12:11:11 PM
What does oral or butt sex have to do with being LGBTQ?  These are pretty normal straight activities to partake in, are they not?

I believe so, yes.

I was pointing out how thin I find the argument “I’m not a homophobe, I object to Court overreach.” It was a common refrain after DOMA was overruled, and here it is again.

People who get all squirmy about gay folks are actually reacting to how gay folks have sex. Given the increasing acceptance of anal sex among straight demographics, I’m thinking there’s a whole whack of “court overreach” folks who happen to be hypocrites.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: jeninco on June 18, 2020, 08:26:34 PM
What does oral or butt sex have to do with being LGBTQ?  These are pretty normal straight activities to partake in, are they not?

I believe so, yes.

I was pointing out how thin I find the argument “I’m not a homophobe, I object to Court overreach.” It was a common refrain after DOMA was overruled, and here it is again.

People who get all squirmy about gay folks are actually reacting to how gay folks have sex. Given the increasing acceptance of anal sex among straight demographics, I’m thinking there’s a whole whack of “court overreach” folks who happen to be hypocrites.

Or plain old self-centered assholes, of which there seem to be more and more here.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: John Galt incarnate! on June 18, 2020, 09:26:40 PM
Quite surprising ruling.  They threw out original intent and went with flexibility in interpretation.  These justices are not as conservative as everyone thought, they are "legislating from the bench".

I think Congress should change the law to reflect changes of the times, the word "sex" refers to something different in 1964 then how they are interpreting it today by the Court.  I think it is up to the political process to make the change in the law.  Congress should revisit the law and clarify what the word means in specific terms today.  The Court has created new law and sidestepped Congress, but I guess Congress can come back to the issue if they want to.



 In Bostock, Justice Gorsuch's  broad treatment of   "sex" is the bedrock  of his rationale.

He  reasoned that "sex plays a necessary and  undisguisable role" in an employer's decision to fire a homosexual or transgender employee, "exactly what Title VII forbids."

We agree that homosexuality and transgender status are distinct concepts from sex. But, as we’ve seen, discrimination based on homosexuality or transgender status necessarily entails discrimination based on sex; the first cannot happen without the second.

It is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex.

As enacted, Title VII prohibits all forms of discrimination because of sex, however they may manifest themselves or whatever other labels might attach to them.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: John Galt incarnate! on June 18, 2020, 09:44:34 PM


The evangelicals and conservatives thought that textualism would solely help their pet causes.

The litigation  some believers and employers  feared is in the offing.

Bostock v. Clayton County (2020)

Employers fear that complying with Title VII’s requirement in cases like ours may require some employers to violate their religious convictions.

We are also deeply concerned with preserving the promise of the free exercise of religion enshrined in our Constitution; that guarantee lies at the heart of our pluralistic society.

But worries about how Title VII may intersect with religious liberties are nothing new; they even predate the statute’s passage.

As a result of its deliberations in adopting the law, Congress included an express statutory exception for religious organizations.

This Court has also recognized that the First Amendment can bar the application of employment discrimination laws “to claims concerning the employment relationship between a religious institution and its ministers.”

 And Congress has gone a step further yet in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA).

 That statute prohibits the federal government from substantially burdening a person’s exercise of religion unless it demonstrates that doing so both furthers a compelling governmental interest and represents the least restrictive means of furthering that interest.

Because RFRA operates as a kind of super statute, displacing the normal operation of other federal laws, it might supersede Title VII’s commands in appropriate cases.

 But how these doctrines protecting religious liberty interact with Title VII are questions for future cases too.



Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Sailor Sam on June 19, 2020, 11:10:33 AM
Employers fear that complying with Title VII’s requirement in cases like ours may require some employers to violate their religious convictions.

Ah, of course.

Happily, my religious conviction is that these fine employers may fuck themselves, right in their touchholes.

I guess we’ll see who’s religion wins.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: SailingOnASmallSailboat on June 19, 2020, 11:56:16 AM
Employers fear that complying with Title VII’s requirement in cases like ours may require some employers to violate their religious convictions.

Ah, of course.

Happily, my religious conviction is that these fine employers may fuck themselves, right in their touchholes.

I guess we’ll see who’s religion wins.

Mine too. Perfect.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: GuitarStv on June 19, 2020, 12:32:55 PM
Employers fear that complying with Title VII’s requirement in cases like ours may require some employers to violate their religious convictions.

Which holy book requires an employer to fire a gay employee?  I've spent some time studying different religions and have yet to have found an excerpt encouraging someone to do this.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: John Galt incarnate! on June 19, 2020, 01:27:32 PM
Employers fear that complying with Title VII’s requirement in cases like ours may require some employers to violate their religious convictions.

Which holy book requires an employer to fire a gay employee?  I've spent some time studying different religions and have yet to have found an excerpt encouraging someone to do this.

I'm unaware of any exhortation  in any holy book  that  employers  fire homosexuals.

I've read and heard that the Bible teaches that homosexuality is an "abomination."

Having no interest in any holy book I  never checked to verify if it is true.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: GuitarStv on June 19, 2020, 01:56:05 PM
If there's no holy book telling you to fire gay people, then the fear about employers needing to violate religious convictions would seem to be stillborn.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Fireball on June 20, 2020, 12:43:53 PM
If there's no holy book telling you to fire gay people, then the fear about employers needing to violate religious convictions would seem to be stillborn.

Right. It's totally fine to hire liars, thieves, adulterers, idol worshipers, or murderers, but homosexuals are just as a step too far in the eyes of these people.
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: GuitarStv on June 20, 2020, 07:16:47 PM
If there's no holy book telling you to fire gay people, then the fear about employers needing to violate religious convictions would seem to be stillborn.

Right. It's totally fine to hire liars, thieves, adulterers, idol worshipers, or murderers, but homosexuals are just as a step too far in the eyes of these people.

Lying and thieving (as well as murder) are all legitimate reasons to fire someone.  If you fire someone for idol worshipping though, you'll certainly be in legal trouble in the US.  :P
Title: Re: SCOTUS and Title VII
Post by: Travis on June 20, 2020, 07:52:53 PM
If there's no holy book telling you to fire gay people, then the fear about employers needing to violate religious convictions would seem to be stillborn.

Right. It's totally fine to hire liars, thieves, adulterers, idol worshipers, or murderers, but homosexuals are just as a step too far in the eyes of these people.

Lying and thieving (as well as murder) are all legitimate reasons to fire someone.  If you fire someone for idol worshipping though, you'll certainly be in legal trouble in the US.  :P

Saw a meme this morning that went like this:

If God has such a problem with gays, them why didn't he include them in the 10 Commandments? On the other hand, he's pissed that you're so jealous of my new bike.