The first bill that Obama signed into law was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which extends the time period an individual has to file a suit under the Equal Pay Act. Congress had passed the law in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (2007), when the Court ruled that Lily Ledbetter did not file her Equal Pay Act lawsuit in time. The Court had reasoned that the limitations period began when the pay agreement was made, not at each new paycheck.

With Ms. Ledbetter present, Obama signed the measure, and stated: “It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign—the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act—we are upholding one of this nation’s first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness.”