'OK Boomer' makes it to the Supreme Court

By Ariane de Vogue, CNN Supreme Court Reporter

Updated 1:59 PM ET, Wed January 15, 2020

Washington (CNN) -- While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was announcing the House managers for the impeachment proceedings Wednesday morning, Chief Justice John Roberts -- who will preside over a Senate trial -- was flexing his knowledge of intergenerational catchphrases.

The Supreme Court justices were hearing a case concerning the standard a federal employee must meet to show that his employer had engaged in unlawful age discrimination, when Roberts, 64, uttered the rallying cry of members of Generation Z.

What if a hiring person were to say, "OK Boomer," Roberts asked. "Is that actionable?"

Laughter ensued in the courtroom. The lawyer at the podium, Roman Martinez, who was born in 1978, didn't skip a beat even though it was likely the first time the phrase had been uttered in the hallowed chamber.

"Well if the speech in the workplace....calling someone 'Boomer' or saying unflattering things about them in age, when considering them for a position, then yes of course," he said.

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