News & Analysis as of

Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) Reverse Discrimination Employment Litigation

Warner Norcross + Judd

Supreme Court Rejects Heightened Evidentiary Standard for Majority-Group Plaintiffs in Title VII Discrimination Claims

Warner Norcross + Judd on

On June 5, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held in Ames v. Ohio Dept. of Youth Services that courts cannot apply a heightened evidentiary standard to majority-group plaintiffs when deciding discrimination claims. The...more

Cole Schotz

U.S. Supreme Court Issues Reversal for Title VII “Reverse Discrimination” Claims

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On June 5, 2025, in a 9-0 opinion, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Ames v. Ohio Dept. of Youth Services that members of a “majority group” do not have to satisfy a heightened evidentiary standard to prevail on a...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Texas Federal Court Vacates Gender Identity-Related Sections of the EEOC’s 2024 Harassment Guidance but Other Sections Remain...

On May 15, 2025, a federal district court in Texas vacated sections of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC or the “Commission”) 2024 Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace (the “2024 Enforcement...more

K&L Gates LLP

Supreme Court Invalidates "Background Circumstances" Rule in Title VII Cases

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On 5 June 2025, the Supreme Court ruled in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services that, in order to establish a Title VII claim, a plaintiff who is a member of a “majority group” is not required to show “background...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Water Cooler Talk: ‘Late Night’ Shows DEI Is More Than Optics

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The 2019 film “Late Night,” written by and starring Mindy Kaling, tells the story of a late-night talk show host, Katherine Newbury, played by Emma Thompson, whose all-male, all-white writing staff scrambles to add a female...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Supreme Court Strikes Down Sixth Circuit Rule Heightening Discrimination Standard for Members of Majority Groups

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A recent Supreme Court decision clarified that discrimination claims brought by members of majority groups in so-called “reverse discrimination” cases cannot be subject to a heightened evidentiary burden. In Ames v. Ohio...more

Rumberger | Kirk

U.S. Supreme Court Denies Heightened Standard in “Reverse Discrimination” Claims

Rumberger | Kirk on

A recent Supreme Court decision is reshaping how employers must think about workplace discrimination—confirming that all employees, majority or minority, are held to the same legal standard under Title VII. This shift could...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

“Reverse Discrimination” Cases Subject to Same Evidentiary Standard Says Supreme Court

Can members of a majority group be subject to a heightened pleading standard for their Title VII discrimination claims? The United States Supreme Court answered this question with a unanimous “no” in Ames v. Ohio Department...more

Adams & Reese

U.S. Supreme Court Opens the Door for Reverse Discrimination Claims

Adams & Reese on

When I think of employment discrimination, I generally think of someone in a traditional majority group (e.g., white or male) firing someone in a minority group (e.g., African American or female) because of sex or race. But...more

Foley Hoag LLP

Supreme Court Rejects Heightened Evidentiary Standard for Majority-Group Plaintiffs in Title VII Disparate Treatment Claims

Foley Hoag LLP on

Key Takeaways: - The Supreme Court held that Title VII does not permit courts to impose a heightened evidentiary standard on majority-group plaintiffs alleging disparate treatment. - Some lower courts have required...more

Venable LLP

The Supreme Court Says Employers Can Be Liable for Discriminating Against Majority Groups

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Earlier this month, in a long-awaited ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a straight white woman who claimed to have lost out on two positions to LGBT candidates and was also demoted in favor of them. ...more

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

SCOTUS Unanimously Rejects Heightened Burden for Majority-Group Discrimination Claims

On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of petitioner, Marlean Ames, a heterosexual woman, who commenced a reverse discrimination case against her former employer, the Ohio Department of Youth...more

Williams Mullen

Supreme Court Rejects Heightened Evidentiary Standards for So-Called “Reverse Discrimination” Claims

Williams Mullen on

On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that plaintiffs bringing discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) cannot be required to satisfy a heightened evidentiary...more

ArentFox Schiff

Supreme Court Resolves Conflict on Burden for ‘Reverse’ Discrimination Claims

ArentFox Schiff on

In Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, No. 23-1039 (S. Ct. June 5, 2025), the US Supreme Court unanimously dispelled the concept of “reverse” discrimination, making clear that discrimination on the basis of a protected...more

Blank Rome LLP

Breaking—Supreme Court Unanimously Lowers Bar for “Reverse Discrimination” Claims: Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services...

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The U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark, unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, 605 U.S. ___ (2025) on June 5, 2025, fundamentally altering the landscape for “reverse discrimination” claims under...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Justices Reject Higher Standard for “Reverse Discrimination” Claims

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

The United States Supreme Court has held that the evidentiary standards for “reverse discrimination” claims under federal employment law must be the same as those set for claims brought by members of minority groups....more

WilmerHale

Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services: SCOTUS Simplifies Reverse Discrimination Claims

WilmerHale on

As widely expected, the Supreme Court’s June 5, 2025 decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services confirmed that a plaintiff alleging employment discrimination under Title VII cannot be held to a different,...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

U.S. Supreme Court Reconciles Circuit Split Regarding Standard for “Reverse Discrimination” Claims

On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, rejecting the “background circumstances” requirement multiple circuit courts of appeals have applied to Title...more

Gould + Ratner LLP

Ames Analysis: Reverse Discrimination Reversed

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On June 5, 2025, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, striking down the “background circumstances” requirement in so-called “reverse discrimination” cases. The Court held...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Navigating DEI in a Shifting Legal Landscape

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs face more scrutiny than ever in light of President Trump’s recent executive orders regarding DEI policies and programs across the public and private sectors, recent...more

Gould + Ratner LLP

EEOC Breaks Silence on Employer DEI Policies

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After months of uncertainty over what aspect of employer DEI (or diversity, equity and inclusion) policies could be discriminatory, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ)...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

DOJ Targets Private-Sector DEI Programs: What Employers Need to Know

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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has set its sights on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, signaling heightened enforcement risks for employers. In a memorandum, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the DOJ to...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Trump Transforms Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

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In the first days of his presidency, President Donald J. Trump made significant changes to the makeup and priorities of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). On the second day of his administration, President...more

Brooks Pierce

Counting Down to the New Year: Ten “Need-to-Know” Labor and Employment Developments of 2024

Brooks Pierce on

2024 was yet another active year in the labor and employment landscape. While 2025 and the new administration could bring any number of changes to workplace laws and enforcement, the timing and extent of such changes is...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

U.S. Supreme Court to Review Title VII Reverse Discrimination Case

On Oct. 4, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to hear Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services –a reverse discrimination case from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The question before the Supreme...more

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