The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it would not hear a case involving the right of a transgender student to use the bathrooms consistent with his gender, reversing course from its previous intention to hear arguments on March 28. The move was a direct result of the Trump administration's decision to turn back Obama administration guidance requiring schools to allow transgender students to use the facilities they deem most appropriate. Last April, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals had sided with a transgender Virginia teen who sued for the right to use the male restroom, saying he had a legitimate claim based on the U.S. Education Department’s position under President Obama. Adam Liptak writes:
In a one-sentence order, the Supreme Court vacated an appeal’s court decision in favor of a transgender boy, Gavin Grimm, and sent the case back for further consideration in light of the new guidance from the Trump administration. [...]
There are other cases on transgender rights in the pipeline, including a challenge to a North Carolina law that requires transgender people to use bathrooms in government buildings that correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificates. The law has drawn protests, boycotts and lawsuits.
Grimm's lawsuit would have been the Supreme Court's first major case involving transgender rights. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals will now be tasked with deciding whether the prohibition on "sex" discrimination under Title IX applies to Grimm's situation.