The Pennsylvania General Assembly intended to extend the protections of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to all employees, including employees of the state’s judicial system, an attorney argued before the state Supreme Court on Thursday in a case that could change the way court workers can bring discrimination and wrongful termination claims against the judiciary.

Hahalis & Kounoupis attorney David Deratzian, who represented the plaintiff in Renner v. Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County, told the justices Thursday that the legislature intended to waive immunities for all “commonwealth” agencies—including the judiciary—when it enacted the PHRA, and, although caselaw holds that the Human Relations Commission cannot handle claims against the judiciary due to the separation of powers, the judiciary itself can adjudicate these claims under the PHRA, which, he argued, provides for greater protections for employees.

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