Author: Amber Bethune

Temple Law Faculty React to the Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia SCOTUS Decision

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On June 15, 2020, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the 6-3 opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, holding that employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is prohibited under Title VII. The landmark decision is widely viewed as an historic moment in the movement for LGBTQ equality. Leonore F. Carpenter Associate Professor of Law Don’t underestimate the enormous power of this decision. Everyone loved the marriage decisions because everyone loves love. But frankly, not everyone has any desire to get married. However, in a nation with a fraying social safety net, job security is absolutely critical to all of us, particularly those on the economic margins. In my mind, this decision is at least as important as Windsor or Obergefell.   Ellie Margolis Professor of Law The Bostock decision is a huge victory for legal equality in this country. It will provide a measure of security to countless LGBTQIA workers who no longer have to fear losing their jobs because of who they are or who they love. The …

Law & Morality

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Judging the immorality of the four police officers charged with the death of George Floyd is easy. Mr. Floyd was handcuffed and on the ground, with four armed officers over him. All the police had to do was listen and stop – he would still be handcuffed, he would still be unable to harm them; but he could be permitted to breathe anew. Ignoring that, or not intervening or at least protesting a fellow officer’s behavior, is indisputably inhumane. But the criminal law and morality lack a perfect overlap. What warrant examination are the charges that have been brought and whether and how they can justly apportion legal blame. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, after announcing charges against the four officers, cautioned that “[w]inning a conviction will be hard…because history shows that trying and winning a case like this one is hard.” General Ellison was referring to the historic reluctance of jurors to convict police acting in the line of duty in what are often fraught circumstances, especially where the deceased is a racial minority. …

A Path to Publication

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Temple Law School: What led you to write your paper, Title VII v. State Legislation: Protecting the Black Crowning Glory, 13 Drexel L. Rev. ___ (forthcoming 2021)? Nadijah Campbell LAW ’20: Like many Black girls, I wear braids, twists, faux locs and fros as everyday hairstyles. When I found out that employers, by law, could and have been preventing Black people like me from having a job because of hairstyles, ones that are completely professional at that, I was hurt, but mostly outraged. I didn’t come to law school to just be hurt and mad though, I came to law school to make changes. So, I took a guided research class with professor Bonny Tavares and I wrote a paper advocating for more states to pass legislation to illegalize this practice of discriminating against Black hairstyles. I’m happy that I was able to customize my legal education to write and learn about this topic that I was so passionate about. TLS: Could you share a short excerpt from your paper? NC: My paper explains how …