Free Republic

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday that he will try to push through a change to Senate rules that would limit the GOP’s ability to filibuster bills. Speaking in the wake of Tuesday’s election, which boosted Senate Democrats’ numbers slightly, Mr. Reid said he won’t end filibusters altogether but that the rules need to change so that the minority party cannot use the legislative blocking tool as often. “I think that the rules have been abused and that we’re going to work to change them,” he told reporters. “Were not going to do away with the filibuster but we’re...

............Speaking in the wake of Tuesday’s election, which boosted Senate Democrats’ numbers slightly, Mr. Reid said he won’t end filibusters altogether but that the rules need to change so that the minority party cannot use the legislative blocking tool as often. “I think that the rules have been abused and that we’re going to work to change them,” he told reporters. “Were not going to do away with the filibuster but we’re going to make the Senate a more meaningful place.” Republicans, who have 47 of the chamber’s 100 seats in this current Congress, have repeatedly used that strong minority...

The argument over what's to be done to break up the filibuster barricade in the Senate continues to heat up, with rallies and counter-charges. Two groups were working in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to try to end the Democratic filibusters which have blocked several of the president's top judicial picks from even receiving up-or-down Senate votes. The Coalition for a Fair Judiciary (CFJ) took to Capitol Hill to lobby for an end to filibusters, while the Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration convened a conference to call for an end to what they see as a judicial assault on faith. The...

There has been a concerted effort by a minority of Democrats in the U.S. Senate to prevent President Bush’s judicial nominees from receiving up-or-down votes on the Senate floor. The obstructionist tactic being used is the judicial filibuster. The use of a filibuster to block judicial nominees is not only wrong, but unconstitutional. At the American Center for Law and Justice, we are working with members of the Senate – advising them about the constitutional options available to bring an end to this tactic. The country is at a critical crossroads. There are numerous vacancies in the federal judiciary and...