User:EBB/Senate 2011

Seniority in the United States Senate is based upon a series of ranked factors, only resorting to the next factor when tied.

"Senior senator" and "junior senator" are terms commonly used to describe United States senators. Each state sends two senators to serve in the Senate; the longer (continuously) serving of the two is by convention referred to as the senior senator, and the other is referred to as the junior senator. If both are sworn in on the same day, other factors, as listed below, are considered.

Benefits of seniority
There is no mandated difference in rights or power, although Senate rules give more power to senators with more seniority. Generally, senior senators will have more power, though being a member of the majority party is more advantageous than being senior. In addition, by custom the senior senators from the president's party control federal patronage appointments in their states. Thus being the junior senator is disadvantageous if the senior one is from the same party.

Some of the perquisites of seniority offered by the U.S. Senate:
 * Senators are given preferential treatment in choosing committee assignments based on seniority. Seniority on a committee is based on length of time serving on that committee, which means a senator may rank above another in committee seniority but be more junior in the full Senate. Although the committee chairmanship is an elected position, it is traditionally given to the most senior senator of the majority party serving on the committee. The ranking member (called vice-chairman in some select committees) of a committee is elected in the same way.
 * Greater seniority enables a senator to choose a desk closer to the front of the Senate Chamber.
 * Senators with higher seniority may choose to move into better office space as those offices are vacated.
 * Seniority determines the ranking in the United States order of precedence although other factors, such as being a former President or First Lady, can place an individual higher in the order of precedence.

Factors considered
There are 11 factors considered in calculating seniority:
 * 1) Amount of consecutive time serving as U.S. senator
 * 2) Former U.S. senator (non-consecutive)
 * 3) Length of time serving as a senator in previous non-consecutive terms
 * 4) Former U.S. representative
 * 5) Length of time serving as a U.S. representative
 * 6) Former president
 * 7) Former vice president
 * 8) Former cabinet member
 * 9) Former state governor
 * 10) Population of state based on the most recent census when the senator took office
 * 11) Alphabetical by last name (in case two senators came from the same state on the same day and have identical credentials)

When some factors are tied, length of time in a prior office may be used to break a tie.

Current seniority list
The president pro tempore of the Senate is traditionally the most senior member of the majority party. Only relevant factors are listed below.

For senators whose seniority is based on their states' respective populations, the state population ranking is given as determined by the relevant United States Census.

The seats of senators whose seniority date is in light green are open for election on November 2, 2010.