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Supreme Court Unanimously Applies Uniform Title VII Standard to Discrimination Claims

The ruling vacates the 6th Circuit’s extra-evidence requirement for majority-group plaintiffs, reviving a bid by Ohio program administrator Marlean Ames.

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Overview

  • Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that Title VII’s text draws no distinction between majority- and minority-group plaintiffs, guiding the unanimous decision.
  • Under the 6th U.S. Circuit Court’s former rule, majority-group claimants had to show special “background circumstances” of rare employer bias before proceeding.
  • Marlean Ames filed suit after being denied a promotion, demoted and having her pay cut by the Ohio Department of Youth Services in 2019.
  • The decision ensures reverse-discrimination claims face the same evidentiary burden as all other Title VII cases, potentially boosting such lawsuits.
  • Ohio Department of Youth Services can still present nondiscriminatory reasons at trial, where Ames may seek to prove those reasons are pretextual.