FILIBUSTERS UPDATE

James Joyner | Friday, May 9, 2003

The Washington Times reports that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will propose a rules change to end filibusters on executive nominees:

Currently, 60 votes are required to break a filibuster, which is also called invoking cloture. The resolution, co-sponsored by several senators, will require 60 votes only in the first attempt at invoking cloture. In each attempt after that, the vote requirement will drop by three until it reaches a simple majority of 51 votes.
This rule change will apply only to executive nominations, not legislative business.

While this strikes me as a workable compromise, it’s also silly. Unless there will be a waiting period between cloture votes, the logic of requiring an idiotic countdown (60, 57, 54, 51) is lost on me.

About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.

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