The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that federal civil rights law forbids employers from discriminating against workers based on sexual orientation or gender identity. 

In a six to three vote, the

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that federal civil rights law forbids employers from discriminating against workers based on sexual orientation or gender identity. 

In a six to three vote, the court determined that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—which bars job discrimination based on race, religion, national origin and sex—protects members of the LGBTQ community from workplace discrimination.

"Judges are not free to overlook plain statutory commands on the strength of nothing more than suppositions about intentions or guesswork about expectations," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court. "In Title VII, Congress adopted broad language making it illegal for an employer to rely on an employee's sex when deciding to fire that employee. We do not hesitate to recognize today a necessary consequence of that legislative choice: An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law."