The Supreme Court on Monday announced
it would not consider a case involving transgender teen Gavin Grimm.
Grimm is the 17-year-old student at the
center of the transgender bathroom debate.
Grimm's case rested heavily on guidance
issued last year by the Department of Education, which stated that
transgender students were protected under Title IX. The new
administration revoked the Obama-era guidance, saying that the issue
was better left up to the states. The high court was scheduled to
hear the case on March 28.
“The judgment is vacated, and the
case is remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth
Circuit for further consideration in light of the guidance document
issued by the Department of Education and Department of Justice on
February 22, 2017,” the court wrote in a notice
Grimm is represented by the American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
“Nothing about today’s action
changes the meaning of the law,” Joshua Block, a senior staff
attorney with the ACLU, said in a statement. “Title IX and the
Constitution protect Gavin and other transgender students from
discrimination. While we’re disappointed that the Supreme Court
will not be hearing Gavin’s case this term, the overwhelming level
of support shown for Gavin and trans students by people across the
country throughout this process shows that the American people have
already moved in the right direction and that the rights of trans
people cannot be ignored. This is a detour, not the end of the road,
and we’ll continue to fight for Gavin and other transgender people
to ensure that they are treated with the dignity and respect they
deserve.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a
Democrat from California, said that she was confident the “court
will ultimately rule in support of LGBT children's right to live and
learn free from discrimination.”
(Related: Caitlyn
Jenner, Laverne Cox join brief in support of transgender teen Gavin
Grimm.)