A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services on June 5, concluding that a plaintiff bringing a so-called reverse discrimination claim — where, for example, a majority group employee such as a white individual alleges race discrimination — is not required to show additional background circumstances to establish a prima facie case of discrimination under Title VII.

The court's decision resolves a circuit split among federal courts, making it clear that Title VII does not require members of a majority group to meet the heightened evidentiary standard.

By eliminating the background circumstances requirement, the court reinforced that majority group plaintiffs are entitled to the same legal protections and evidentiary burden as their minority counterparts.

Click here to read the full article written by Charles Bush and Jotionette Jones and first published in Law360.