In 1806, at the encouragement of Vice President Aaron Burr, the Senate dropped a rule that limited debate. Twenty-five years later, the filibuster was born, when a group of senators blocked consideration of a bill to build a bridge over the Potomac.
But as the Senate considers Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to take a seat on the Supreme Court, the fate of the filibuster itself is up in the air. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSanders hits Feinstein over Kavanaugh allegations: Now it’s clear why she did nothing for months On The Money: Senate approves 4B spending bill | China imposes new tariffs on billion in US goods | Ross downplays new tariffs: 'Nobody's going to actually notice' McConnell tamps down any talk of Kavanaugh withdrawal MORE (R-Ky.) has indicated that he will consider eliminating the filibuster on Supreme Court nominees to cut off Democratic objections.
In this week’s episode of The Hill’s History-Cast, we take a deep dive into the historical roots of the filibuster, what it’s meant for some of the great debates in the nation’s history — and whether Republicans could take things one step farther by demolishing all filibusters.
Check out this week’s episode on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or your favorite podcast platform.
