Supreme Court to hear landmark gay and transgender rights cases

When the Supreme Court’s nine members take their seats Monday for the start of their next term, the justices will waste little time before confronting a trio of cases that could have major implications for gay and transgender rights.

On Tuesday, the court will hear arguments in legal disputes involving the scope of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, and religion. The justices will be tasked with deciding whether those protections extend to workers who are gay or transgender.

The issue, one of the most consequential the justices will weigh this term, was raised by three separate cases the Supreme Court announced it would hear in April.