Supreme Court Sides With Straight Woman on “Reverse Discrimination”

The Supreme Court made it easier Thursday to file lawsuits over “reverse discrimination.”

The nation’s highest judiciary sided with an Ohio woman who claimed that she had been passed over for a job and was subsequently demoted because she was straight. Marlean Ames, a 20-year employee at the Ohio Department of Youth Services, claimed that the promotion and the job she previously held were both given to LGBTQ people.

Ames had previously lost her case in trial court and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

In siding with Ames, the court unanimously struck down a standard that had previously required individuals identifying as part of a majority group—such as being white, male, or heterosexual—to face a higher bar in proving discrimination.

The ruling will affect cases in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The 6th Circuit was one of the courts that had tasked people like Ames with showing “background circumstances” as proof, such as an internal pattern of discrimination against her at her organization. Ames did not provide any circumstances to the appeals court, reported the Associated Press.

This is a developing story.