The Supreme Court said Monday it will hear a case involving a former Georgia Tech women’s basketball coach who said she was fired after complaining that her school gave men’s sports teams better treatment.
MaChelle Joseph, who coached for 16 years before being booted amid complaints of verbally abusing her players, said her ouster was retaliatory, constituting illegal discrimination.
A lower court blocked her lawsuit, saying Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which allows private parties to bring discrimination lawsuits in education, applies only to students.
That differs from other appeals courts that have found Title IX applies to students and school employees alike. That means school employees in at least one part of the country can sue while those in other parts cannot.
That conflict made the case ripe for the justices.
Ms. Joseph’s case was combined with that of Thomas Crowther, an art professor at Augusta University for about 15 years who was booted after being accused of harassing students. He also filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying female professors who faced similar accusations were not disciplined.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals consolidated the two complaints.
At least four justices voted to hear the dispute.
Oral arguments will occur during the court’s 2026-2027 term, which runs from October through June.
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