United States Supreme Court Holds Same Standard Must be Applied to Reverse Discrimination Cases as Other Forms of Discrimination

On June 5, 2025, the Supreme Court unanimously held that a Plaintiff alleging reverse discrimination under Title VII be held to the same standard as if they belonged to another suspect class. Ames v. Ohio Dep’t of Youth Services, 2025 U.S. 2198 (2025).

Plaintiff, Marlean Ames, a heterosexual woman worked for the Ohio Department of Youth Services in various positions since 2004. In 2019, the Department of Youth Services interviewed Ames for a new management position but ultimately hired another candidate, a lesbian woman. The agency subsequently demoted Ames from her role as a program administrator and later hired a homosexual man to fill her role. Ms. Ames file a lawsuit against the Department of Youth Services alleging that she was denied the management promotion and demoted because of h