By Jesse Russell

The Supreme Court unanimously came down in favor of a female forklift operator who was punished for filing a sex discrimination complaint against her supervisor. Sheila White was suspended for 37 days without pay and shifted from her duties as a forklift operator to more physical yard work. White, an employee of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway in Memphis, accused her foreman of sexual harassment. He was suspended, but the railroad charged her with insubordination. The ruling establishes broader standards for retaliation claims by employees against their employers.