Cite Check

Washington and Lee Law Review

"Cite Check" is a podcast produced by the Washington and Lee Law Review. Join us as we discuss current legal developments, take in depth looks at recently published articles, and talk all things Law Review.

Episodes

  1. 05/06/2022

    Ep. 4: Statutory Interpretation in Civil Rights Cases After Bostock (with Elena Schiefele '22)

    A discussion with Elena Schiefele '22 about her Note, titled "When Statutory Interpretation Becomes Precedent: Why Individual Rights Advocates Shouldn't Be So Quick To Praise Bostock." You can read Elena's Note at our Law Review website. Elena's Note takes a deep dive into U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s approach to textualism, which Elena calls “muscular textualism." This muscular textualist approach was most notably exemplified in Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the Supreme Court held that the Civil Rights Act's prohibition of "discrimination" on the basis of "sex" includes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Muscular textualism, Elena highlights, is marked by its rigorous adherence to what Justice Gorsuch perceives to be the “plain language” of the text, at the exclusion of legislative history and social context. Although the Bostock opinion expanded LGBTQ+ civil rights, Elena argues that Justice Gorsuch's approach, if applied elsewhere, could lead to more rights-restrictive decisions at the high court.  In our conversation, Elena discusses Justice Gorsuch's approach in Bostock, the ways in which muscular textualism departs from new textualism, and her application of the muscular textualist framework to two civil rights statutory interpretation issues that have divided the circuit courts. Ultimately, Elena argues, civil rights advocates might not be pleased with future decisions reached through muscular textualism.

About

"Cite Check" is a podcast produced by the Washington and Lee Law Review. Join us as we discuss current legal developments, take in depth looks at recently published articles, and talk all things Law Review.