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Joshua Huder

Senior Fellow, Government Affairs Institute

Joshua C. Huder, Ph.D., joined the Government Affairs Institute as a Senior Fellow in 2013. He has taught courses on American government, advanced legislative process, and other American politics courses. He has provided political analysis to several news outlets, including the Washington Post, Congressional Quarterly, Newsweek, Bloomberg News, CNN, the Washington Examiner, U.S. News, Al-Jazeera, Yahoo News, and is a regular contributor for the Christian Science Monitor.

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Norms, Precedents and Senate Confirmation

October 2, 2020
The Supreme Court vacancy created by Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing has thrust the Senate’s constitutional confirmation function into an already chaotic 2020 election cycle. Senate Majority Leader McConnell appears… Read More
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Attempting to oust the Speaker of the House offers short-term nothing for long-term discomfort

September 17, 2020
Reports emerged yesterday of a plan among House Freedom Caucus (HFC) members to oust Speaker Pelosi via a “motion to vacate the chair.” This motion has been a more… Read More
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The beginning of the end of the legislative filibuster? The unintended consequence of Blunt-Lankford rule change

April 1, 2019
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell set up debate this week to limit post-cloture time to two hours on judicial and executive branch nominees (except agency heads and Supreme Court nominations). But… Read More
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Can Pelosi flip enough votes? Probably not without conceding her job.

November 28, 2018
The attempted Pelosi ouster is crumbling. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) heads into today’s Democratic Caucus leadership elections unopposed in the race for Speaker. However, her quest for the… Read More
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Examining the Problem Solvers Caucus proposed rules changes

November 27, 2018
In her bid to regain the Speaker’s gavel, Rep. Nancy Pelosi has been quietly meeting and assuaging members who were previously dead-set on opposing her nomination. And, in typical fashion,… Read More
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New Nomination Rules and the Kavanaugh Nomination: Consequences for the Senate

October 4, 2018
The Senate, for the first time in over 200 years, is considering a Supreme Court nominee entirely under a majority process. Brett Kavanaugh is proceeding through the full confirmation… Read More
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Eliminating the Motion to Vacate is a bad idea

August 2, 2018
By Joshua C. Huder One thing I really don’t understand about recent reform proposals: Eliminating or significantly tailoring the motion to vacate. This very rare motion has received more… Read More
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The discharge petition doesn’t have to be dead

July 4, 2018
The immigration discharge petition died last week. Essentially, leaders killed the discharge  effort by pulling the underlying bill (H.R. 4760) to the floor. That meant that even though the… Read More
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The House and Senate go rogue?

May 22, 2018
Image source: The Hill By Joshua C. Huder Today’s Congress is often rightfully perceived as lacking democracy and controlled by a select few. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are… Read More
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Paul Ryan gonna Paul Ryan: The lame-duck Speaker

April 12, 2018
Image source: Politico By Joshua C. Huder Speaker Paul Ryan’s announced retirement from the House raises the immediate and obvious question: what happens with a lame duck Speaker? Prior… Read More