Reid Urges End to Obstruction, But Only Reforming the Filibuster Will Do It
Jon Tester has been called the winner of the Senate election in Montana. This leaves the North Dakota race as the only one uncalled, and there, Democrat Heidi Heitkamp leads by 3,000 votes with all...
View ArticleReid’s Senate Agenda: Filibuster Reform and Immigration Reform
I’m getting two things out of Harry Reid’s post-election press conference. One, there will absolutely be changes to the filibuster in the next Congress. They may not be maximal changes, but I would...
View ArticleFilibuster Reform Support Still Short of a Majority in the Senate
With the expectation of a series of new cabinet appointments (though not Attorney General , apparently) comes the expectation of a number of bruising nomination fights on the floor of the Senate. Read...
View ArticleWhite House Makes Politically Expedient End Run By “Designating” Elisse...
The White House, in announcing the departure of Mary Schapiro as Chairwoman of the SEC, also took the unusual step of “designating” her replacement – a way to fill the vacancy at the top of the...
View ArticleFilibuster Reform Definitely Coming, But May Not Be Enough
It definitely looks as though we’re headed toward a shift in the Senate rules, though mainly one that facilitates the scheduling of the Senate calendar rather than actually turns the Senate into a...
View ArticleWhite House Supports Filibuster Reform Effort
President Obama supports the Senate rules reform effort , effectively giving a vote to reformers as they build toward a January showdown. In a statement to the Huffington Post , White House...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Boehner Threatens No Votes on Senate Bills if Democrats Push Through...
Speaker Senator John Boehner John Boehner, who is not now nor has ever been a Senator, has nonetheless decided to insert himself into the debate over Senate rules reform. Boehner threatened to ignore...
View ArticleSenators Getting Cold Feet on Changing Rules By Majority Vote
The one reason that a set of filibuster reforms that fall short of eliminating the 60-vote Senate may still allow for majoritarian democracy in that body is that it would set the precedent that the...
View ArticleCourt Hears Arguments on Constitutionality of the Filibuster
While Senators work out a potential compromise on the filibuster, one which would in all likelihood keep the option of a supermajority requirement for legislation and confirmations intact while...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Judge Strikes Down Constitutional Challenge to the Filibuster
Senate Chamber If there’s going to be reform to the Senate’s rules, it’s going to have to come from the Senate itself. That’s the implication of a ruling in federal court today throwing out a...
View Article
