For once, the Supreme Court sides with workers

The Roberts Court is famously hostile to employee rights. But it apparently draws the line at pregnant women.

Supreme Court
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Molly Riley))

The Roberts Court hasn't given liberals a great deal to be happy about, and this goes double where the civil rights of employees are concerned. But in a very important ruling handed down on Wednesday, the Supreme Court endorsed stronger protections for the rights of pregnant employees on a 6-3 vote.

The case, Young v. UPS, concerned a claim made under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Peggy Young, a UPS driver, was laid off during her pregnancy because she was unable to lift 70 pounds of packages, the minimum then required by the company. Her manager informed her that "she was too much of a liability" to either continue to work as a driver or be given an alternative assignment.

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Scott Lemieux

Scott Lemieux is a professor of political science at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y., with a focus on the Supreme Court and constitutional law. He is a frequent contributor to the American Prospect and blogs for Lawyers, Guns and Money.