A recent Supreme Court ruling “levels the playing field” for white, heterosexual, or male applicants for university jobs, according to legal experts.
The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling earlier this month in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services affirms Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires equal treatment for all groups.
Previously, some federal circuit courts had created an extra standard where majority groups, such as white litigants, had to pass a higher bar to bring claims. White male applicants have regularly sued universities for racial discrimination, including at the University of Illinois, Pennsylvania State University, and University of South Florida.
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals erroneously required Marlean Ames to show “background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority,” the Supreme Court ruled.