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 McConnellOn The Money: Power players play chess match on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi bullish, Trump tempers optimism | Analysis: Nearly 1M have run out of jobless benefits Trump casts doubt on hopes for quick stimulus deal after aides expressed optimism Power players play chess match on COVID-19 aid 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.
