Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) is trying to gain support for a modest proposal to change Senate rules to deal with the issue of filibuster support by proxy. The current arrangement allows Senators to support a filibuster even while on a tropical vacation. The rules regarding cloture in the Senate are unlike almost any other rules [...]

On Wednesday the newly elected Republican majority took power in the House of Representatives. As part of the changeover, the House Republicans adopted a new set of rules based on the principle of majority rule by a majority vote. This is effectively the same thing each new House has done for decades. Amazingly, there was [...]

The New York Times editorial board has acknowledged that there is clearly a serious problem with the rules currently governing the Senate and has called for modest reform. Yet, despite calling for reform, the New York Times, for some reason, has a problem with the democratic principle of majority rule that governs almost every other [...]

The Senate is run on precedent as much as it is governed by its official rules. Precedents will sometimes almost directly contradict the actual rules but the precedents actually govern the behavior of the chamber. In fact, using a ruling from the chair upheld by a simple majority, the Senate can set a precedent that [...]