Biden’s Flurry Of Executive Actions Could Kick Off New Court Battles
January 22, 2021
THERE'S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN
|Lawrence Hurley with Reuters reports PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S flurry of executive actions this week could “prompt fresh court battles or reignite existing ones.” For instance, Biden strengthened LGBTQ rights and the DACA program in orders this week, and Republican-led states and advocacy groups are already ready to push back. Hurley notes that on LGBTQ rights and Dreamers, the Supreme Court is likely to have the final say assuming Congress does not cement the new policies into law.
OLD RULES, NEW ENFORCEMENT
|“On his first day in office, PRESIDENT BIDEN issued a sweeping executive order making it clear that gay and transgender people are protected against discrimination in schools, health care, the workplace and other realms of American life. The executive order outlines a broad interpretation of last year’s landmark Supreme Court ruling that gay and transgender employees are covered by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” Samantha Schmidt, Emily Wax-Thibodeaux and Moriah Balingit with The Washington Post write federal agencies will now have to review and revise existing rules as necessary to ensure the prohibition of sex discrimination includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
TOP-ED
|Today marks the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, but in an op-ed for Teen Vogue Lauren Rankin argues, “Today’s Supreme Court is seemingly determined to counter any enthusiasm for Roe, and we have the previous presidential administration to thank for it.” Rankin makes note of the high court’s recent decision to reinstate restrictions on medication abortions and calls the Trump administration “one of the most rabidly anti-choice administrations in modern memory.” Rankin writes, “The Trump administration may be out of power, but its legacy of harm towards reproductive rights will live on in policies like the FDA’s medication abortion requirement, in the forced sterilizations of undocumented refugees at an ICE detention facility, and in the three anti-abortion justices who will long outlive their appointer. The administration paved the way for the end of Roe and an end to nationwide legal abortion.”