US Senate

History's Greatest Barrier to Climate Action—the Senate—May Have Fallen

Critics have legitimate disagreements with the scope and urgency of climate action enabled by the just-passed Inflation Reduction Act. But it's a departure from precedent for the Senate to do anything at all. 

Sen. Marsha Blackburn Gets Schooled After Botching Constitutional History

No less an authority than rocker Gene Simmons was among those letting the Tennessee Republican know that she was deeply confused about the nation's founding documents. 

What if the Constitution is the Source of Democratic Erosion?

by Noah Feldman

James Madison feared from the beginning that the design of the US Senate was contrary to the core principles of a democratic republic. A Harvard Law professor says that if the nation can survive with a fundamentally undemocratic institution at the heart of the government, partisan gerrymandering might not be too bad. 

The Senate is a Long-Term Threat to Democracy

by Thomas Zimmer

The idea that the Senate is "the world's greatest deliberative body" is American exceptionalism that hides the undemocratic nature of the institution.

Inaction By Design: Blame the Founders for Stalled Legislation

by Calvin Schermerhorn

Although two Senators have been singled out by many liberals as villains, "today’s legislative sausage factory evokes the Founders’ recipe for federal inaction — and their suspicion of democracy."

Ron Brownstein: What Manchin and Sinema Can Learn from Lincoln Republicans on Voting Rights

It's increasingly clear that the choice isn't between partisan and bipartisan legislation to protect voting rights, but between partisan legislation and none. But the 14th and 15th Amendments were themselves partisan. 

Why Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley Won’t Be Punished for Fomenting a Riot

by Alex Pareene

The Senate's ethics processes reflect an instution that has historically policed itself. They are completely useless when Senators ignore see political advantage in ignoring institutional norms. 

Save Democracy: Abolish the Senate

by Michael Tomasky

Great Britain made the wise choice of diminishing the political power of the House of Lords. The New Republic's editor says that the history of Parliament and Congress shows it's time to do the same to the Senate. 

John Warner, Genteel Senator from Virginia, Dies at 94

"A debonair Virginian, Mr. Warner was sometimes called the senator from central casting; his ramrod military posture, distinguished gray hair and occasionally overblown speaking style fit the Hollywood model."

The Senate’s Unchanging Rules

by Donald A. Ritchie

Continued obstructionism is likely to push the Democrats to more radical alteration of Senate rules, including the filibuster, says the long-tenured Senate Historian.

Biden Can Advance Racial Justice, but Only if Democratic Senators Ditch an Old Tradition

The Senate's "blue slip" rule allows senators to privately exercise a veto over judicial nominations for their state. Like the filibuster, it has been used to derail the nominations of liberal judges as well as women and judges of color. A liberal judicial advocate argues that it should be scrapped. 

If Senators Won’t Kill the Filibuster, They Should at Least Sweat for It

by Elie Mystal

The Nation's law and politics columnist Elie Mystal examines the changes in Senate rules that have made the filibuster a low-effort, low-cost, and high-frequency event since the 1970s. Democrats can get more freedom to legislate without abolishing the filibuster if they change the rules. 

All the Lies They Told Us About the Filibuster

Columnist Jonathan Chait considers the politics of the Senate filibuster and Adam Jentleson's new book "Kill Switch," concluding that much of the mythology of the filibuster as a check on knee-jerk legislation is bogus. 

Make the Filibuster Difficult Again

by Burt Neuborne and Erwin Chemerinsky

Two law professors argue that there's no need to remove the Senate filibuster. Insisting that Senators actually talk through the filibuster and that no other Senate business could be conducted during one would return to Senate rules that made the filibuster rare, rather than a routine procedure. 

The Senate Has Used the Filibuster to Block Civil Rights Bills for Decades. That’s Another Reason for Dems to Ditch It

When the Senate filibuster was used sparingly, it was almost always to stop civil rights legislation. Now, it's used as a matter of routine to stop legislation. Democrats can choose to keep the filibuster or pass laws, but not both. 

Democrats are getting Chuck Grassleyed

The Senate negotiations over the Affordable Care Act and the 2009 Recovery Act are not ancient history. It remains to be seen if Senate Democrats can learn from them. 

'Another Milestone in the Long, Long Road.' Rev. Raphael Warnock's Georgia Senate Victory Made History in Multiple Ways

by Olivia B. Waxman

Historians including Adam Domby and Kali Nicole Gross relate the symbolic and political significance of Rev. Raphael Warnock's victory in Georgia's senate runoff. But that history suggests gains in Black political power will face backlash, warns Carol Anderson. 

Paul Sarbanes, Longtime U.S. Senator from Maryland who Championed Protection of Chesapeake Bay, Dies at 87

The long-serving Marylander is remembered as a "Stealth Senator" who preferred effectiveness to publicity while championing financial regulation, investigating Watergate and Iran-Contra, and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. 

Minority Rule Cannot Last in America. It Never Has

by Kenneth Owen

When parties commit themselves to minority rule, the backlash can be severe, as has been shown repeatedly when ruling parties stood in the way of popular will. 

American Democracy Was Never Supposed to Work

by Richard Kreitner

"Merely ousting Trump is not enough without addressing more fundamental weaknesses in our political system, especially an outdated Constitution that continues to serve a minority of wealthy and white citizens and to curb any movements that might threaten their wealth and power."