Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services

Summary

The Court held that the Sixth Circuit’s “background circumstances” rule, which imposes a heightened evidentiary burden on majority‑group plaintiffs to establish a prima facie Title VII claim, is inconsistent with the text of Title VII and its precedents, vacated the summary‑judgment judgment and remanded for application of the proper prima facie standard. The decision also noted that the rule is a judge‑made doctrine lacking statutory authority.