The justices rejected an appeals court’s requirement that members of majority groups meet a heightened standard to win employment discrimination cases.

In a unanimous ruling on Thursday, the justices lowered the bar for people in majority groups (typically considered white, heterosexual, cisgender, and male) to bring claims of discrimination by striking down a “background circumstances” rule implemented by some lower courts.

The justices’ decision Thursday affects lawsuits in 20 states and the District of Columbia where, until now, courts had set a higher bar when members of a majority group sue for discrimination under federal law.