seniority rule


nounU.S. Politics.
  1. the custom in Congress providing for the assignment of a committee chairpersonship to that member of the majority party who has served on the committee the longest.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use seniority rule in a sentence

  • I had to have, under the seniority rule of the service, a wooden man for its commander.

    Sword and Pen | John Algernon Owens
  • Both irregulars will then attain places of vast power unless the seniority rule is abrogated.

    Behind the Mirrors | Clinton W. Gilbert