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 characteristic is unlawful “discrimination,” no matter the identity of who engaged in the discrimination or which workers were harmed or benefited.

The Ohio Department of Youth Services operates the state’s juvenile correctional system. In 2004, the agency hired Marlean Ames, a heterosexual woman, to serve as an executive secretary. Ames was eventually promoted to program administrator and, in 2019, applied for a newly created management position. Although the agency interviewed her for the position, it ultimately hired a different candidate — a lesbian woman — to fi

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