What does filibuster mean in simple terms?
The Senate tradition of unlimited debate has allowed for the use of the filibuster, a loosely defined term for action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question.
What is an example of a filibuster?
In 1917, for example, Wisconsin senator Robert La Follette used the filibuster to demand free speech during wartime. During the 1930s, Senator Huey P. The record for the longest individual speech goes to South Carolina’s Strom Thurmond, who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
What is filibuster rule?
A filibuster is a tactic used by a minority group of members of the U.S. Senate who oppose and prevent the passage of a bill, despite the bill having enough supporters to pass it. The tactic involves taking advantage of the rule that 60 votes are needed to stop debate on a bill.
How do you get past a filibuster?
The procedure overrides the filibuster rules in the Senate, which may otherwise require a 60-vote supermajority for the passage by the Senate. Bills described as reconciliation bills can pass the Senate by a simple majority of 51 votes or 50 votes plus the Vice President’s as the tie-breaker.
How long was the longest filibuster in Congress?
It began at 8:54 p.m. and lasted until 9:12 p.m. the following day, for a total length of 24 hours and 18 minutes. This made the filibuster the longest single-person filibuster in United States Senate history, a record that still stands today.
What bill did Strom Thurmond filibuster?
On August 28, 1957, United States Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina began a filibuster, or extended speech, intended to stop the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
What does cloture vote mean?
Cloture (UK: US: /ˈkloʊtʃər/, also UK: /ˈkloʊtjʊər/), closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. It was subsequently adopted by the United States Senate and other legislatures.