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Obama Nominates Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court
On March 16, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The following is excerpted from the president’s remarks at the White House following the announcement. Of the many powers and responsibilities that the Constitution vests in the presidency, few are more consequential than appointing a Supreme Court justice — particularly one to succeed Justice Scalia, one of the most influential jurists of our time. The men and women who sit…
Keystone Update
Republicans in Congress are following through on their pledge to make approval of the Keystone XL pipeline an early item on their agenda as they take control of both the House and Senate. On January 9, the House easily approved a bill (H.R. 3) authorizing the pipeline’s construction; however, the vote, which was 266 to 157, fell short of the two-thirds majority necessary to override a presidential veto. On the same day, the Nebraska Supreme Court, after months of deliberation, reached a decision that allowed a route for the pipeline to cross the State. The case focused on whether the…
Another Filibuster Showdown Averted
With his announcement on July 11 that he would start a process to change the rules to make it easier for the Senate to confirm Obama Administration nominees, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV-D) had set the stage for a confrontation with Republicans over the Senate filibuster rule for Executive Branch nominations. But on July 16, an eleventh-hour deal averted a floor battle that could have led to the most significant change in the Senate rules since 1975, when the number of votes needed to cut off debate was reduced from 67 to 51. How the Drama Played Out Reid…
Senate Adopts Modest Filibuster Reforms
In its first votes of the 113th Congress, the Senate adopted several rule changes designed to make it easier to bring bills and nominations to the floor for a vote. The changes, which were broken into two separate resolutions, were based on a bipartisan agreement reached between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV-D) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY-R) in response to a growing chorus of calls for filibuster reform. It is hoped that the new rules, though modest, will help to some extent to break the legislative logjam that characterized the last Congress and to action on the…
Senate Preserves the Filibuster
Perhaps wary that they might soon find themselves back in the minority, most Democratic senators opted against major reforms in the filibuster rules, settling instead for modest changes in the way the chamber conducts its business. Senate leaders also fashioned a “gentlemen’s agreement” designed to avoid some of the procedural battles that have caused legislative gridlock in recent years.
February Digest to Examine Filibuster Reform
Democratic and Republican Senate leaders are currently engaged in negotiations regarding proposed changes in Senate rules that would decrease the threat of filibusters and promote bipartisan cooperation. In the wake of the Tucson shootings and the President’s call for more civil discourse, will these negotiations result in changes that are acceptable to both sides and might help alleviate legislative gridlock? The upcoming issue of Congressional Digest will discuss the history and use of the filibuster, and whether or not it should be reformed.
START Treaty Ratification Dealt a Blow
The drive by the Obama Administration to ratify the START Treaty during the Senate’s upcoming lame-duck session took a blow on Tuesday, when Sen. Jon Kyl (AZ-R) released a statement saying that he did not think the Senate would have time to vote on the treaty until the new year.
Prospects for New START Ratification
On September 30, after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 14 to 4 to send the New START Treaty to the full Senate for a vote (see the October International Debates) Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton applauded Committee Chair John Kerry (MA-D) for his leadership on the issue. But ratification of the U.S.-Russia nuclear arms reduction agreement is far from certain.