Home
>
Political
>
What is the Filibuster-Breaking Nuclear Option?

What is the Filibuster-Breaking Nuclear Option?

What is the so-called "nuclear option" that Senator Bill Frist may deploy soon in a precedent-setting attempt to break a potential filibuster? It sounds ominous, but what is it all about, really?

President Bush has the opportunity to nominate and fill numerous federal judicial positions this year. Eventually he will have the opportunity to nominate one or more Supreme Court jusices as well. However,this issue isn't about the potential Supreme Court nominations yet, but ultimately it will be.

The Democrats in the Senate plan to use the filibuster to prevent the Senate from voting on the federal judicial nominees that the Democrats see as objectionable. A simple majority of 51 Senators is needed to confirm the nominees. However, once a filibuster has begun, 60 votes are then required to invoke cloture, ending the filibuster, and forcing a vote. There are 55 Republicans in the current Senate, enough votes to confirm President Bush's federal judicial nominees, but not enough to break a nomination-ending filibuster without bipartisan cooperation.

The Republicans contend that requiring 60 votes to effectively confirm a nomination is unconstitutional. The Constitution is imprecise on this point. The Constitution only asks the Congress to "advise and consent" regarding judicial nominees, which implies that only a simple majority vote is needed. The Democrats contend that the filibuster is not unconstitutional and has been used often in the past by the minority party, both Republican and Democratic, and that rules governing its usage should be left intact.

Republican Senator Bill Frist has proposed the "nuclear option," which would set a precedent and effectively change the rules. Currently, Senate Rule XXII stipulates that invoking cloture requires a supporting vote of 60%, and it further stipulates that to change the rule requires a supporting vote of 67%.

Here's one possible scenario about how Senator Frist might trigger the "nuclear option."

1. A controversial judicial nomination goes to the Senate floor for consideration.
2. Senate Democrats begin a filibuster to prevent a confirmation vote.
3. Senator Frist raises a Point of Order. He contends that further debate would be dilatory and that a vote must be taken within a specific period of time.
4. Vice President Cheney, the presiding officer, sustains the Point of Order.
5. A Democratic Senator appeals the ruling.
6. A Republican Senator moves to table the appeal, which would effectively eliminate the appeal.
7. The Senate votes on the motion to table the appeal. This is a procedural issue and cannot be filibustered. Only 51 votes are needed to pass the motion to table the appeal.
8. If only 50 Senators vote to table the appeal, Vice President Cheney can cast the tie-breaking vote. 51 votes would sustain the ruling, thus requiring the filibuster to end within a specified time frame.

This is considered a "nuclear option" because it circumvents Senate Rule XXII which governs cloture. It also would cause further division among Republicans and Democrats, making bipartisan cooperation in the future more difficult. The option would also be a tactic that would be used against the Republicans in the future when they are the minority party and a Democratic President nominates federal judges.

Garry Gamber is a public school teacher. He writes articles about politics, real estate, health and nutrition, and internet dating services. He is a founding member of http://www.goodpoliticsradio.com and the owner of http://www.goodpoliticsradio.com.

best cleaning company Highland Park ..

In The News:

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

What is the Filibuster-Breaking Nuclear Option?

Political