Employment Law—Title VII and the Anti-Retaliation Provision—Beyond Employment and the Workplace: The United States Supreme Court Resolves the Split and Shifts the Balance. Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Co. v. White, 126 S. Ct. 2405 (2006).

In its recent decision in Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Co. v. White, the Supreme Court resolved the split along the federal circuit courts by extending Title VII\u27s anti-retaliation provision to retaliatory acts and harms that are unrelated to employment or that occur outside of the workplace. The Court limited its holding by concluding that Title VII prohibits only those employer actions that would dissuade a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination. This note examines the significance of the Supreme Court\u27s decision in Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Co. v. White to employers and employees in the United States. This note first summarizes the facts behind the Burlington Northern case and the procedural history that led it to the Supreme Court. Next, the note explores the pertinent statutory language and the split among the federal circuits. The note then examines the Court\u27s analysis in its Burlington Northern decision. The note concludes with a discussion of the decision\u27s implications for employees and employers and the promise of the Court\u27s new standard