The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday in favor of an Ohio woman seeking to file an employment discrimination claim against the state, alleging that she was passed over for a job because of her heterosexual orientation.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the opinion.
The plaintiff, Marlean Ames, claims her employer, the Ohio Department of Youth Services, denied her a promotion and then demoted her, instead choosing gay candidates who were less qualified. Her then-supervisor was also gay.
Ames had been with the Department for over 15 years and had received numerous positive performance reviews.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation.
To file a case in federal court, plaintiffs must first present a prima facie case — Latin for “on the face of it” — which is a legal term that indicates that there are enough facts to support a claim.
Justice Jackson, writing for the court, stated that Ames had been unfairly held to a higher legal standard because he was a member of the majority group.
“The question in this case is whether, to satisfy that prima facie burden, a plaintiff who is a member of a majority group must also show ‘background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority,'” Jackson wrote, quoting a Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision.
“We hold that the additional ‘background circumstances’ requirement is inconsistent with Title VII’s text or our case law interpreting the statute. As a result, we reverse the judgment below and remand to apply the proper prima facie standard.”
The ruling allows Ames’ lawsuit to proceed, but it does not guarantee success in her case against her former employer.