Sarah Binder

A look at the history of the filibuster and its role in the future of Senate proceedings.

The U.S. Senate is set to tally up a record-breaking number of filibusters this term, slowing down the operation of what was already known as the “world’s most deliberative legislative body.” Brookings Institution Senior fellow and George Washington University political science professor Sarah Binder talks about the increasing use of the filibuster and it’s long-winded history. Though it's commonplace in the modern Senate, the filibuster came about because of a minor parliamentary rule change in 1806.