From ABC NEWS: The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled in favor of an Ohio woman who wants to bring an employment discrimination claim against the state, alleging she was passed over for a job on the basis of her heterosexual orientation.
The plaintiff, Marlean Ames, alleges her employer, the Ohio Department of Youth Services, denied her a promotion and later demoted her, in both cases selecting gay candidates instead who were less qualified. Her supervisor at the time was also gay.
Ames had worked for the Department for more than 15 years and received sterling performance reviews.
The report notes that discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation is prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson delivered the opinion.
“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, referencing the prior decision from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“We hold that this additional ‘background circumstances’ requirement is not consistent with Title VII’s text or our case law construing the statute. Accordingly, we vacate the judgment below and remand for application of the proper prima facie standard.”
🚨 BREAKING: Supreme Court UNANIMOUSLY sides with the STRAIGHT WOMAN in Ohio who says she was discriminated against in favor of LGBTQ people for a job – AP
Marlean Ames said she was passed over for a promotion, then demoted, because she was straight. Both positions were given to… pic.twitter.com/yUfS9iRktv
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 5, 2025
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