Filibuster

Extracted Attributes

• Type

  Parliamentary procedure

• Purpose

  Prolong debate to delay or prevent a decision on legislation

• Mechanism to end

  Cloture (also closure or guillotine)

• Commonly known as

  Talking a bill to death

• Etymology (Dutch)

  vrijbuiter (freebooter, adventurer)

• Etymology (French)

  flibustier

• Historical context

  Form of obstruction

• Etymology (Spanish)

  filibustero (freebooter, pirate)

• Popularized in culture

  1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

• Primary legislative body

  United States Senate

• Cloture requirement (US Senate)

  Three-fifths of Senators (usually 60 out of 100)

Timeline

• The practice of delaying legislation by giving long speeches dates back to the very first session of the U.S. Senate. (Source: NPR)

  1789

• The term 'filibuster' became commonplace in Congress, used as a metaphor for lawmakers disrupting government business. (Source: NPR)

  1850s

• The U.S. Senate adopted a rule to allow a two-thirds majority to end a filibuster, a procedure known as 'cloture'. (Source: Senate.gov)

  1917

• Senator Strom Thurmond conducted the longest recorded filibuster, lasting over 24 hours, in opposition to the Civil Rights Act. (Source: Brennan Center)

  1957

• The U.S. Senate reduced the number of votes required for cloture from a two-thirds majority to three-fifths (60 senators). (Source: Senate.gov)

  1975

• Harry Reid made changes to the filibuster rules for judicial nominees, contributing to its erosion. (Source: Provided Summary, Related Documents)

  Undated

• Mitch McConnell escalated changes to the filibuster rules for Supreme Court appointments, following Harry Reid's earlier changes. (Source: Provided Summary, Related Documents)

  Undated

Filibuster

A filibuster is a parliamentary procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out a bill", and is characterized as a form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision-making body. A motion of cloture (also closure or guillotine) may sometimes restrict filibustering.

Web Search Results

• Filibuster | Research Starters - EBSCO

  A filibuster is a political tactic primarily utilized in the U.S. Congress, where legislators extend debate on proposed legislation to delay or prevent a vote. This practice allows lawmakers to stall proceedings until voting deadlines pass, leading to the failure of certain bills. Filibusters can last as long as the speaker can remain standing and speaking, or until a majority votes to end the debate. The term "filibuster" has its roots in the Dutch and Spanish words for "pirate" or [...] A filibuster is an extended oral argument used by politicians to delay or prevent a legislature from voting on a proposed law. In so doing, politicians can deadlock their legislatures for so long that the voting deadlines expire and the bills fail. Filibusters generally last as long as the speakers can remain talking and standing, or until a majority of the legislature votes to stop all debate. It is a widely used practice in the United States Congress, where numerous controversial bills have [...] A group of contracted tax collectors working for the Roman treasury suddenly began losing money due to certain agreements they had made in their contracts. The collectors then petitioned the Senate to produce new contracts that would ultimately save them money. These individuals held great financial and political influence in Rome, and so most senators complied with their request. Cato, however, rejected the proposal outright.

• Filibuster - Wikipedia

  The filibuster is a powerful legislative device in the United States Senate. Senate rules permit a senator or senators to speak for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose, unless "three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn" (usually 60 out of 100 senators) bring debate to a close by invoking cloture under Senate Rule XXII. Even if a filibuster attempt is unsuccessful, the process takes floor time. Defenders call the filibuster "The Soul of the Senate". [...] A filibuster is a parliamentary procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out a bill", and is characterized as a form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision-making body. ## Etymology [edit] [...] The term "filibuster" ultimately derives from the Dutch vrijbuiter ("freebooter", a pillaging and plundering adventurer), but the precise history of the word's borrowing into English is obscure. The Oxford English Dictionary finds its only known use in early modern English in a 1587 book describing "flibutors" who robbed supply convoys. In the late 18th century, the term was re-borrowed into English from its French form flibustier, a form that was used until the mid-19th century.

• The Filibuster Explained | Brennan Center for Justice

  In the Senate, a filibuster is an attempt to delay or block a vote on a piece of legislation or a confirmation. To understand the filibuster, it’s necessary first to consider how the Senate passes a bill. When a senator or a group of senators introduces a new bill, it goes to the appropriate committee for discussion, hearings, and amendments. If a majority of that committee votes in favor, the bill moves to the Senate floor for debate. [...] Filibusters traditionally involved long speeches in which a senator attempted to block a vote from proceeding by refusing to yield the floor. To stage such a “talking” filibuster, a senator would hold the floor by standing and talking for as long as they could, sometimes overnight. This was popularized in the 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The longest filibuster ever recorded, by South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957, lasted for more than 24 [...] a rule to overcome obstruction by the minority.

• The history of filibustering, before Cory Booker's speech - NPR

  The term refers to action "designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question," according to the U.S. Senate. [...] toggle caption Bettmann/Bettmann Archive/Bettmann "Filibuster" was originally used to describe an unauthorized military adventurer, specifically "an American engaged in fomenting insurrections in Latin America in the mid-19th century," according to Merriam-Webster. It comes directly from the Spanish word "filibustero," which translates to freebooter or pirate. ### Interview highlights ### Sen. Cory Booker on his marathon, 25-hour speech on the Senate floor [...] The practice of delaying legislation by giving long speeches dates back to the very first session of the Senate in 1789, the chamber says, but it wasn't until the 1850s that it became commonplace enough to earn its colorful name. It first appeared in Congress as a metaphor, after one debate got so long it seemed to be disrupting government business. The implication was that filibustering lawmakers were pirates, raiding the institution for their own political gain.

• About Filibusters and Cloture - Senate.gov

  The Senate tradition of unlimited debate has allowed for the use of the filibuster, a loosely defined term for action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question. Prior to 1917 the Senate rules did not provide for a way to end debate and force a vote on a measure. That year, the Senate adopted a rule to allow a two-thirds majority to end a filibuster, a procedure known as "cloture." In 1975 the Senate reduced the number of

• Instance Of

  Q4167410

A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out a bill", and is characterized as a form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision-making body.