The Supreme Court reached a unanimous decision on Thursday to make it simpler to file lawsuits related to reverse discrimination. An Ohio woman believes she was denied a job opportunity and subsequently demoted because she is straight, and the court sided with her.
This ruling impacts legal actions in 20 states plus the District of Columbia. Previously, courts required a higher standard of proof for discrimination cases filed by majority group members, such as white or heterosexual individuals, under federal regulations.
The court ruled in an appeal from Marlean Ames, who has worked for the Ohio Department of Youth Services for more than 20 years.
Ames claims she was overlooked for a promotion and later demoted due to her heterosexuality. The positions she applied for and her previous role were both assigned to individuals identifying as LGBTQ.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars sex discrimination in the workplace. A trial court and the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Ames.
The 6th circuit is among the courts that had required an additional requirement for people like Ames, showing “background circumstances” that might include that LGBTQ people made the decisions affecting Ames or statistical evidence of a pattern of discrimination against members of the majority group.
The appeals court noted that Ames didn’t provide any such circumstances.
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