Hemisphere Weekly: Supreme Court landmark rulings

It’s been an eventful week for the U.S. Supreme Court. On Monday, in a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity are forms of sex discrimination and therefore illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The ruling represents another landmark moment in the LGBTQ+ movement. The ruling makes it harder for the Trump administration to defend both its recent rule removing nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people when it comes to healthcare and the military’s transgender ban—which is still being fought in court. In what many consider a surprise move, conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee selected after the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia, wrote the majority decision. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who had never signed an opinion endorsing gay rights, also joined the majority.

On Thursday, the Court also ruled that the Trump administration could not immediately proceed with its plan to end DACA, the Obama-era program protecting about 700,000 young immigrants from deportation. Writing the majority opinion, Chief Justice Roberts noted, “We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies . . . we address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action.” Chief Justice Roberts said the Trump administration may try again, but only if it provides adequate reasons for shutting down the program. After the DACA ruling, President Trump took to Twitter to announce his displeasure, tweeting, “Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me?” He also promised to only nominate a conservative judge—both of his nominees have been conservative—to the Supreme Court in the future and vowed to release a list of possible candidates by September.