The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether white, straight workers must clear a higher bar when they are trying to prove race and sex discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We’ve gathered articles on the news from SHRM and other outlets.

Plaintiff Seeks to Revive Lawsuit

The justices took up an appeal by Marlean Ames, a heterosexual woman, who is seeking to revive her lawsuit against the Ohio Department of Youth Services in which she said she lost her job to a gay man and was passed over for a promotion in favor of a lesbian woman in violation of federal civil rights law.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided that Ames had not shown the background circumstances that courts require to prove that she faced discrimination because she is straight. At least four other U.S. appeals courts have adopted similar hurdles to proving discrimination claims against members of majority groups. Those courts have said the higher bar is justified because discrimination against those workers is relatively uncommon. But other courts have said that Title VII does not distinguish between bias against members of minority and majority groups.

(Reuters via Yahoo)

Congratulations Allegedly Followed by Demotion

The lawsuit alleges that Ames applied for and was passed over for the department’s bureau chief of quality position. Following the rejection, her supervisor allegedly congratulated Ames on 30 years of public service but also suggested Ames...

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