In the wake of two public episodes of Mitch McConnell appearing to ‘freeze,’ a longtime Kentucky journalist explains how an uncharismatic Kentucky lawyer came to rule the Senate.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Filibuster
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The combination of crumbling democratic norms in the U.S. Supreme Court appointments process and an ideological court out of step with mainstream America raises questions of how it could be reformed.
The Senate has a lot of rules, and its parliamentarian interprets what those rules allow – and what they don’t. That can mean a bill will face either huge obstacles, or very few obstacles to passage.
Many states have found ways to remove partisan politics from their court systems.
The US system was designed with more checks and balances than many other successful democracies – the filibuster’s main function is to give undue power to a vocal minority.
In 1974, Congress invented the reconciliation process to reduce deficits. More recently, reconciliation has been used in ways that increase the deficit. A public policy scholar explains the process.
Endless filibustering has paralysed the US Senate, and with it all of Congress. Will this form of obstructionism be one of the main challenges facing Biden, as some Democrats fear?
Politicians say they want it, but how often, and under what circumstances, does bipartisanship really happen?
How an uncharismatic Kentucky lawyer came to rule the Senate and remake the federal judiciary from top to bottom.
Sen. Warren said the filibuster stands in the way of gun reform. It does, and so much more.
Republicans were able to push through a tax plan and a flurry of judicial nominees after the Senate curtailed use of the filibuster. It’s time to go all the way.
Conservative congressional reps in Colombia have been stalling votes on key parts of the country’s peace accords through endless petitions and nonstop debate. In short, they’re filibustering.
Many of the most commonly used election terms have a long linguistic history, stretching from ancient Rome to modern-day America and Australia.
The leading GOP candidates all claim one of their top priorities will be to repeal Obamacare. An architect of the original law outlines the thorny – but plausible – path to repeal.
When Republicans took over Congress, many observers predicted a goodbye to gridlock. Not so fast, however. Politicians say they hate filibusters – until they want to use them.
Nearly a year ago, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pulled the trigger on a parliamentary maneuver many have labeled the “nuclear option.” Democrats were able to change the way Senate Rule XXII, which…
Perhaps no sentiment better defines the American political psyche than distrust of government. It prompted the constitutional framers 226 years ago to create a system of national government that separates…
Top contributors
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Professor and director emeritus, Institute for Rural Journalism, University of Kentucky
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Visiting Professor of the Practice of Political Science and Public Policy, Brown University
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Professor of Politics, University of California, Santa Cruz
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Assistant Professor of Political Science, Westminster College
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Professor, Department of Government and Justice Studies, Appalachian State University
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African Centre of Excellence for Inequality Research (ACEIR), University of Cape Town
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Professor of Public Health Practice, Harvard University
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Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science, Western University
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Professor of Public Policy, University of Virginia
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Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond
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Professor of Law, University of Baltimore
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Professeur de civilisation américaine à l'Université de Paris (LARCA - CNRS/UMR 8225)., Université Paris Cité
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Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, Monash University
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Professor of Linguistics, Monash University
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Professor of Political Science and International Relations, The University of Western Australia
