Breaking—Supreme Court Unanimously Lowers Bar for “Reverse Discrimination” Claims: Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services Redefines Title VII Litigation

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark, unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, 605 U.S. ___ (2025) on June 5, 2025, fundamentally altering the landscape for “reverse discrimination” claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The ruling eliminates the long-standing “background circumstances” requirement for majority-group plaintiffs, significantly lowering the threshold for such claims and signaling a new era of risk considerations for employers.

Case Background: A New Lens on Disparate Treatment

Petitioner Marlean Ames, a heterosexual woman, served in various roles at the Ohio Department of Youth Services since 2004. In 2019, Ames applied for a newly created management position but was passed over in favor of a lesbian woman. Shortly thereafter, A