1991 June 4 After defeating two other civil rights bills, the United States House of Representatives, by a vote of 273 to 158, passes a civil rights bill. The bill is an effort by Congress to reverse the Supreme Court's 1989 ruling in Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Antonio and make it easier for victims of job discrimination to sue for damages. President Bush opposes such legislation, claiming that it will force employers to set quotas for hiring minorities, in order to protect themselves from possible discrimination suits.