New Nomination Rules and the Kavanaugh Nomination: Consequences for the Senate
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
Lame ducks and congressional accountability
(Editor’s note: This piece originally appeared in Law and Liberty on October 3, 2018.) The ranks of those writing about the state of American governance have swelled recently… Read More
Machine learning improves our understanding of how laws are made and who deserves credit for them
In the early years of his long congressional tenure, Senator Warren Magnuson (D-WA) was known as an effective purveyor of pork. Following a tough reelection campaign in 1962 and… Read More
ICYMI: Rebuilding a technology assessment office in Congress: Frequently asked questions
Congress is not known for being particularly tech savvy. This reputation comes in part from its quaint anachronisms, such as prominent Members’ desire to eschew email and smartphones,… Read More
The House asked members for their ideas to make Congress work better. This is what they suggested
(Editor’s note: The post originally appeared on FixGov on September 21, 2018.) On September 13, the House Committee on Rules’ Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House held… Read More
How filibustering and strategic parties contribute to gridlock
By Gregory Koger Filibustering: the Fourth Veto The U.S. Constitution lays out a system with three veto players: the President, the House of Representatives, and the… Read More
Kavanaugh’s inevitable confirmation
(Editor’s note: This piece was originally posted by the Government Affairs Institute on September 5, 2018.) By Susan Sullivan Lagon To no one’s… Read More
Cloture votes weaponized to handicap executive branch transition
The Senate has invoked cloture 108 times on executive nominees during the 18 months of the Trump presidency. By calling for cloture with the intent to obstruct progress, the Senate… Read More
Unring the bell
(Editor’s note: This post is a follow up to yesterday’s post and originally appeared in Legislative Procedure on September 5, 2018.) By James Wallner Yesterday’s post detailing… Read More
How to make the Senate a nuclear-free zone
(Editor’s note: This post originally appeared in Legislative Procedure on September 4, 2018.) Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., regrets going nuclear. Democrats used the controversial maneuver in 2013 to lower unilaterally the… Read More