As we gather again for our annual reflection on developments in equal employment opportunity law, we would be remiss in failing to highlight a monumentally important date in our nation's legislative record: on July 2, 2014, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  For the first time in history, the federal government sought to ban discrimination in employment. Title VII continues to evolve, as Congress, federal appellate courts, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission grapple with 21st Century considerations, including newly created protected classes and the continuing expansion of pre-dispute arbitration and class action waivers amidst concerns over systemic discrimination. California courts, and the state legislature, continue to look to, and build off of, Title VII; for this reason, it is fitting to use the most significant Civil Rights Act developments of the last fifty years as the lens through which we examine the practical impact of the most recent EEO cases and legislation.