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Reflecting broad public concerns and controversies about a gamut of civil liberties, a combination of liberals and conservatives in Congress, goaded by President Lyndon B. Johnson, fought for passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the act delineated a series of formal and informal remedial procedures designed to end employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The objective of Title VII was to pave the way for equal employment opportunity for all Americans.

Seniority on the Supreme Court is an informal arrangement that helps resolve major disputes among justices concerning decision-making procedures. The most important aspect of seniority within the Court concerns the power to assign the main author for the Court’s majority opinion. Historically, if the chief justice votes with the majority position, he or she can write the opinion for the Court or assign a justice to write it. When the chief justice is in the minority, the associate justice with the most seniority who voted with the majority has the power to assign the writing of the opinion. Justices’ power to assign opinions on cases increases with seniority.