Overview

• In a unanimous opinion authored by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the justices held that requiring extra proof from majority-group plaintiffs conflicts with federal anti-discrimination laws.
• The ruling vacates and remands Ames’s suit against the Ohio Department of Youth Services, clearing the procedural hurdle that had barred her claim of heterosexual bias.
• University of Virginia law professor Xiao Wang, whose clinic argued the case, underscored that equal legal standards can coexist with carefully tailored Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
• Conservative organizations hailed the decision as a check on so-called reverse discrimination despite the court’s avoidance of that term in its opinion.
• Legal analysts warn the precedent may encourage more discrimination lawsuits from majority-group employees and prompt companies to reassess their DEI policies.