Posted
12:11 PM
by Michael Fox
It does not seem that many will shed many tears for the now departed 112th Congress, although I am not sure that any one seems hopeful that the newly formed one will perform any differently.
But 50 years ago today, another Congress was sworn in, one that ultimately created the field of employment law. Given that for the last 37 years, I have been engaged primarily in the defense of employment law suits, on a personal level that's a significant development.
But its importance is obviously much broader than how I ultimately chose to make a living.
On January 3, 1963, the 88th Congress that would pass first the Equal Pay Act, and then a year later the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including its employment law provision, Title VII, convened.
The Democratic party controlled both houses of Congress and John F. Kennedy was President. John McCormack of Massachusetts was the Speaker of the House. Mike Mansfield, from Montana was the Senate Majority Leader and Everett Dirksen of Illinois was the Senate Minority Leader.
The two year period of this Congress is rich with historical content without even considering its impact on the employment law world. But it is that aspect that will be the subject of postings here over the coming months.
