In a 7-0 decision that supporters hailed as promoting gender equity while protecting and strengthening workplace reproductive rights, the New Jersey Supreme Court reaffirmed that pregnant employees are entitled to protections and accommodations under the state's anti-discrimination law.

In Delanoy v. Township of Ocean, the justices upheld the Appellate Division panel's determination that the Ocean Police Department's "Maternity Assignment Standard Operating Procedure" violated the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2014 and provisions of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination by placing additional burdens on pregnant officers who request light duty.

"We agree that Delanoy's claim should not have been dismissed and therefore affirm the Appellate Division's judgment," said Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, who delivered the 30-page opinion Tuesday. "More importantly, we concur in the Appellate Division's illumination of the PWFA as providing multiple theories on which a claim may be based."