The Supreme Court on Thursday revived an Ohio woman’s lawsuit that argues she was the victim of reverse discrimination because her employer denied her a promotion because she is straight.
In a unanimous decision, the court tossed out a federal appeals court ruling in which Marlean Ames was dismissed on the grounds it failed to clear the higher bar applied to members of a majority group for her employment discrimination case to proceed, according to CBS News.Â
The high court’s nine justices concluded that a “background circumstances” requirement cannot be squared with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and sent Ames’ case back to the lower courts for further proceedings, the news outlet also reports.
The background circumstances rule required plaintiffs who are members of a majority group to put forth more evidence showing that their employer is “unusual” because it discriminates against the majority.Â
Ames had argued that the requirement unfairly imposed a higher burden on her as a heterosexual woman.
