Some of the U.S. Supreme Court judges showed worries on Wednesday on a law on workplace discrimination. This law restricting the reach of the federal law that prohibits workplace discrimination.
This concern came in a case concerning a St. Louis police officer. She claims she was moved to another position because of her gender, despite her wishes.
Throughout nearly a two-hour argument, judges seemed to align with the officer’s attorney . The bench consisted of both the conservative-leaning and liberal justices of the court.
They expressed a shared belief that workplace discrimination should be deemed unlawful. Even if it doesn’t result in a measurable harm, it would be unlawful. For example, instances where employees are transferred but retain their salary and position.
There’s a split among U.S. appeals courts on this matter. At least two courts are deciding that employees aren’t required to show harm beyond the discrimination itself.
However, in the case heard on Wednesday, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, located in St. Louis, ruled against the officer. Officer Jatonya Muldrow apparently couldn’t file a lawsuit for sex discrimination as her transfer did not impacted her working circumstances.
The matter at hand is quite intricate. Yet the court’s decision could significantly impact numerous discrimination cases where employees claim they were moved due to discriminatory motives.
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