Chief Justice John Roberts Brings Up "Ok Boomer" In Supreme Court

Since rising to national recognition, OK Boomer, the pejorative term used by Millenials and Zoomers to point out perceived flaws in the baby boomer generation, has been the subject of debate. Is "Ok Boomer" truly the "end of friendly generational relations" as the New York Times reported in October 2019?

Well, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts is smacking the gavel on the debate.

Yesterday, in a Supreme Court argument about what federal workers must do to prove age discrimination, Cheif Justice Roberts invoked those two meme-able words "OK Boomer" in a hypothetical example of potential age discrimination.

"Let's say in the course of the weeks' long process," said Roberts. "One comment about age the hiring person is younger, says 'OK boomer' once to the applicant. Now, you're only concerned about process. You're not concerned about but-for causation. It doesn't have to have played a role in the actual decision. So is that actionable?"

Roberts used the phrase to see the limits of age discrimination, not to determine whether or not the meme is discriminatory. However, the use of the word makes it one of the few memes to make it to the Supreme Court, forever enshrined in the court's transcripts.

OK Boomer made a brief splash in national headlines in fall 2019, exploding in usage throughout the final months of the year. However, the flurry around the phrase quickly led to overuse, as people meme'd and criticized the phrase in equal measure. It has since mostly been dormant in the new year.

However, Roberts' use of the phrase in court, which was reportedly met with laughter by those in attendance, has brought the meme back into the headlines. Will Chief Justice Roberts revive the meme? Probably not, but it's certainly fun to see some memes finally have their day in court.