Supreme Court sides with straight woman, making it easier to bring ‘reverse discrimination’ claims

Individuals belonging to “majority groups” in some parts of the country may find it easier to bring cases of discrimination after the Supreme Court sided with a heterosexual woman in a case about employer discrimination.

In a unanimous ruling on Thursday, the justices lowered the bar for people in majority groups (typically considered white, heterosexual, cisgender, and male) to bring claims of discrimination by striking down a “background circumstances” rule implemented by some lower courts.

Under that rule, Marlean Ames, a straight woman from Ohio, was denied the ability to sue her employer for what she alleges was discrimination against her sexual orientation.

The justices agreed, saying the test is “not consistent with Title VII’s text or our case law construing the statute.”