[Unam Sanctam]

B. Rules Changes. In light of the spirit and continuing commitments made in this agreement, we commit to oppose the rules changes in the 109th Congress, which we understand to be any amendment to or interpretation of the Rules of the Senate that would force a vote on a judicial nomination by means other than unanimous consent or Rule XXII.

This is the part I'm concerned about. How long does the 109th Congress last?

[JAWs]

How long does the 109th Congress last?

Until the next elections. 2006.

[GeoPie]

TILL THE NEXT ELECTION 2006. Basically the Dems can filibuster if thy feel it is extraordinary circumstances but we forfeit the bird option till elections of 2006.

[kristinn]

January 3, 2007, IIRC.

[Still Thinking]

Each "Congress" is the two year term of reps, so the 110th will begin when they're seated following the November 2006 elections.

[ops33]

Two years. It will end with the election in 2006 and the 110th Congress will be seated in January, 2007.

[SunshinesStormySummerSon]

The 110th will take the oath of office in January of 2007. Of course several of the Senators involved in this will not have finished their 6 year term by then.

[lstanle]

"A. Future Nominations. Signatories will exercise their responsibilities under the Advice and Consent Clause of the United States Constitution in good faith. Nominees should only be filibustered under extraordinary circumstances, and each signatory must use his or her own discretion and judgment in determining whether such circumstances exist."

This sounds meaningless to me. Isn't that exactly what we have now? Any signatory of this deal or any senator can decide now if they want to try and filibuster any nominee.